56 Just 5 More Minutes
by ARtheBard
Summary: It's Halloween and time for fun at Chateau Prentiss. But the real monsters come out 2 days later when Declan's birth mother kidnaps him and tries to draw Emily into a 1 on 1 fight for his life. Emily has to put her trust in the team to help her get him back and save her when she goes after Chloe Donaghy alone.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Yep, starts at the climax again. Want to keep you guessing. :o)**

**Enjoy!  
****AR**

* * *

"_Just 5 more minutes. I just have to stall 5 more minutes,_" Emily thinks to herself as a man kneels in her back.

He yanks both her arms behind her. Both of them hear her upper right arm snap as the bone cracked by a bullet is broken completely. He chuckles.

"Oops," he says with glee in his voice.

Emily bites her lip and refuses to even moan at the pain. She feels another man binding her feet together. The water lapping at the dock she lies upon gives her a good idea how they plan to get rid of her. As the men stand up, the woman that had led Emily to this point steps towards her and squats down.

"So, this is how tha mighty Lauren Reynolds finally dies," she says with a heavy Irish lilt. She gets a fake apologetic look on her face. "Oh, sorry, yer name is Emily Prentiss, no' Lauren Reynolds. Doesnae matter. Ye stole me son. Now…now I steal yer life."

Emily swallows to try to steady her voice. "I…I didn't know you were alive. I swear. Ian said you were dead. He never told me your name. Just that you were dead. I swear."

"Aye, so ye've said. Doesnae matter. Ye didnae try ta find me. Now ye pay fer tha'." She grabs Emily by the hair and stares into her eyes. "Ye'll never know tha happiness in me heart tha day I saw Louise O'Bannon on tha streets of Dublin. Long thought dead I knew if she was alive my son…my Declan was alive. Took me nearly 3 weeks ta break her. Oh, she fought hard ta keep yer secret, Emily. But eventually it all came out. And then I started plannin' how I was gonta come ta America fer me boy."

She turns and nods. Emily's eyes widen as two men push Declan out of the shadows towards them. The youngter's eyes widen and he tries to call out to Emily even with a gag in his mouth. He tries to run to her but the men hold him tightly, laughing at his distress. Emily will kill them both if she gets the chance. Chloe Donaghy turns back to Emily, an evil glint in her eye.

"And now I have him. Tha bastard wha' raised him is dead. And now…now my boy'll watch and see wha' happens ta those wha' steal from me."

"NO!" Emily croaks as forcefully as she can. "Kill me. But, please…don't let him see. Please. Please don't let him see that."

"How will tha boy learn if he doesnae see?"

"I…I took him from Ian so he wouldn't have to see death and destruction. He wanted to make Declan into a so-called warrior like him. I wanted Dec to have a chance at something better. Don't you want something better for him than a death like Ian's? Or a life like yours in the shadows? Why not let him…ungh…live in peace? Live in light? If you love him, really…love him…give him…a chance," Emily pleads as she is fighting to stay conscious. The pain in her arm is nearly unbearable.

Chloe smiles cruelly. "Doyle wasnae tha only one tha' makes warriors." She stands and looks at her men. "Tie tha' old anchor ta her ankles." She looks back down at Emily.

Emily tries to gauge how much time has passed but the pain is clouding her ability to think clearly. Stall, she tells herself. Just keep stalling.

"He said…he killed you. Tied you to…bed until birth. Then…killed you. Said you tried to…kill ya'self," she forces out. "You didn't…want Dec…so Ian…killed you…"

"He lied," she says bitterly. "Livin' without him was a slow death. Ye'll know soon wha' tha's like." She raises an eyebrow. "Bu' only fer as long as ye can hold yer breath."

Emily tries to kick out at the men. How many more minutes? How close are they? Where the hell are they? Just as the anchor is secured she hears the glorious sound of someone kicking in the various doors of the boathouse where she has been led by her nemesis.

"FBI!" is screamed by multiple voices.

Chloe stares back and up towards the main level. She knows it's just a matter of moments until the agents make their way to the lower level shipping and receiving dock. She looks back down at Emily. Emily gives her as cruel a smile as she can muster.

"I didn't really…go rogue, you fu…fucking bitch. I win…AGAIN!"

Chloe walks over and kicks Emily in the stomach. "But ye still die."

With Emily still gasping for breath, Chloe kneels and shoves the agent and anchor into the cold salt water. Emily sinks into the darkness with only one thought to comfort her: at least Declan will be saved.

She hopes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Saturday after the return from Los Angeles**

"MA! MAMA! MA! MAMA!"

Emily smiles and stretches an arm out to grab the baby monitor. She turns the volume down as her wife groans. The brunette starts to caress the arm thrown across her chest as she breathes in the scent of JJ's shampoo thanks to the blonde locks pressing against her cheek. She shifts her head enough to kiss JJ's forehead.

"I have to get up, honey. Rocky is calling," Emily whispers.

"MOMMY! MAMA!"

Emily chuckles. "And so is Henry, Jen. Time to get up."

JJ groans petulantly and rolls away. "Five more minutes," she mumbles.

Emily just grins and shakes her head. She grabs the other monitor and gets out of bed. She slips both into the pockets of her Batman sleep pants and goes down the hall towards the kid's rooms. She pokes her head into Rocky's and sees the girl standing in her crib.

"Poopy, Mama," the little one says happily.

Emily nods. "I figured. I'll be right in, Sweet Girl."

Rocky just nods and sits down. Emily winces when she hears the "splat" sound. Yep, that was going to be fun to clean up. She walks down to Henry's room and sees him sitting on the edge of his bed, Alaska sitting beside him. Both stare expectantly at the door.

"Morning, Champ. How about you go potty while I change Rocky's diaper?"

Henry hops up. "Kay, Mama. C'mon, Ska."

Emily ruffles his hair as he walks by, Alaska at his heels. Emily then goes back to Rocky's room.

"You ready, big girl?"

Rocky stands and holds out her hands to her mother. As Emily nears she winces.

"Whew! What in the world did we feed you?"

Rocky just cackles. Emily lifts her up and gives her a kiss, getting one in return. As she lays the little princess down on the changing table, Rocky entertains them with a song only she knows. Emily's nose wrinkles as she changes the diaper. It was even worse than she thought. By the time she is done, Henry is calling to her that he, too, is done. She snaps Rocky back into her pajamas.

"How about you go see Mommy while I check on Ree?"

Rocky just nod excitedly. Emily carries her out of the room and calls down the hall. "Be with you in a second, Henry."

"Kay, Mama."

Emily walks into the bedroom and sets Rocky on the bed. The little girls happily crawls over to her mother, who is now cuddling with Emily's pillow. Rocky reaches out and lifts one of JJ's eyelids. Emily chuckles, remembering Henry doing the same to her several times.

"S'eep, Ma?" Rocky asks in a loud "whisper".

JJ can't help but smile as she opens both eyes. "Not anymore, Rock Star."

Rocky pounces. "MA!"

JJ laughs and pulls her close. "Good morning, sweet girl." Rocky gives her a big kiss. "Ooo! A Rocky Kiss! All I need now is a Henry Hug and my morning will be perfect."

Emily grins. "You two hang right here and I can deliver on that in a second." She walks down the hall to the bathroom. "All done, Champ?

"Si, Mama. Peed and pooped."

Emily chuckles. "Uh, thanks for the report." She helps him into fresh pull up and lifts him up so he can wash his hands. When he's done she sets him on the ground. "Mommy needs a Henry Hug."

"Gots it!"

He races off down the hall, Alaska right behind him. By the time Emily gets to the bedroom her wife is getting Henry Hugs and doggie kisses. The blonde looks thrilled about one and dubious about the other. Emily is just fully amused. Once everyone is calmed down and snuggled up to JJ, Emily sits on the edge of the bed.

"So, how do pancakes and bacon sound for breakfast?"

"In bed?" Henry asks eagerly.

Emily laughs. "Uh, no, at the table."

"I don't know, Mama. I think in bed sounds good," JJ says with a wink.

"Yeah, Mama. In bed!" Henry insists.

Rocky just claps and giggles, which Emily just assumes is her agreement with her brother and mommy. Emily just chuckles and tosses the remote to JJ.

"Fine. In bed. I'll be back up in a little while. Something tells me we'll be washing the sheets today."

JJ just grins and nods. "Yep. Thanks, baby."

"You're welcome, Jen. Love you three."

"Love you, too, Em."

"Love you, Mama!" Henry agrees.

"Mama love!" Rocky adds.

* * *

After breakfast (and stripping off their now syrup covered sheets) Emily and JJ sit down in the play room to think about Halloween. While Henry plays with his learning tablet and Rocky with one of her activity centers, the women discuss the holiday.

"Is Will going to be able to get up here?" Emily asks.

JJ shakes her head. "Unfortunately with Marty Florence out because of heart attack and Todd Baylor having been called up with his Reserve unit they are too short-handed. He is working Halloween to guarantee Christmas. Thanksgiving will still be a question mark."

"Rats. I know he had fun with Henry last year. This year would have been even better since Champ really gets what it's all about. Should we go out today to look at costumes?"

JJ blushes and looks away. "Uh, no need," she says quietly.

Emily raises an eyebrow. "Oh? Why not?"

"Uh, well, see, Pen saw something really cute online. I thought it sounded good so she sent me the link and I kind of ordered them."

"Jennifer Prentiss, what have you done?" Emily demands.

"Look, just know they are based on one of your favorite movies of all time and they should look absolutely adorable on us."

"Us? As in…_all_ of us?" JJ nods. "Jennifer, if you tell me I'm dressing like Chewbacca I will never speak to you again."

JJ bursts out laughing. "Not 'Star Wars', I swear."

"Jennnnn…"

"They'll be here today. If you don't like them I can return them. Just…keep an open mind."

"You had them sent to Garcia, didn't you?"

"Actually to the office. She's bringing them by since they arrived yesterday."

Emily sighs and shakes her head. "You're lucky I love and trust you, Agent Jareau."

"Yes, yes I am, Agent Prentiss."

Henry walks over and hands his tablet to Emily. "Mama, it's broked."

Emily takes the machine and looks it over. "Uh, looks okay to me, Champ."

"Nope. Broked."

"Why do you think it's broken, Henry?" JJ asks.

"Is no right."

"Not right? What do you mean?"

He takes the tablet from Emily and walks over to JJ. He hands it to her. "No right."

JJ looks at the image on the screen. "I don't understand, Henry. What's not right here? Show me."

Henry sighs, upset his mommies can't see what's wrong. He points to the picture of the car on the screen. "Lightning no that."

Pride flares in JJ as she realizes Henry recognizes number on the side of the car is not correct. Granted, he may not completely understand what the numbers really mean but he does know the numbers are not right.

"You're right, Henry. The number isn't right. Push this button here," she points to a command on the side. Henry pushes it and several choices pop up. "Do you see the right number?"

Henry studies it a moment then pushes choice C, which is 95. "That Lightning." The game plays a clip of Lightning saying "Great race! Number 9-5 wins!" It actually says the two numbers separately to help the child learn. JJ is impressed with this new game. The last "Cars" themed game helped him learn his colours.

JJ smiles. "Very good! See, this game is to help you learn numbers. You look at the picture then push this button." She points to it again. "Then choose the right number. Here, let's try the next one."

Another Cars character pops up. Henry studies it a moment then hits the command button. He studies the answers and chooses the right one. JJ hugs him close as the game once again has the character tell Henry "Great race!" and repeats the number. JJ looks up at Emily and sees the pride in her eyes.

"So, want me to keep helping or do you want to do it on your own?" JJ asks him.

He settles further into her lap and smiles. "Help, Mommy."

JJ kisses the top of his head. "Okay, I'll help. Let's try the next one."

Emily watches the two gorgeous blondes playing and learning together. She glances over at their daughter and sees her singing along with the song on her activity center. Okay, so maybe all the words aren't there but the tune is correct. Emily is 99.9% sure no one in the world could be happier and more content than she is at that moment.

And then the front door opens.

"PRENTISS FAMILY! YOUR FAIRY GODMOTHER HAS ARRIVED BEARING HALLOWEEN COSTUMES!" Garcia calls from the front entry.

Henry and Rocky run towards the voice, just happy to see Aunt Penny. Emily groans…and wonders just what her wife has gotten her into.

* * *

Emily stares at herself in the mirror. Okay, it fit. So much for using that as an excuse to get out of wearing it on Tuesday night. She sighs.

"Maybe we'll have a case," she mumbles.

"Oooo! Henry so cute!" Garcia squeals.

Emily groans. No way will Garcia allow a case to spoil her fun.

"Mama! Come see!" Henry commands.

Emily looks in the mirror once more. She straightens the floppy hat on her head and walks out of her closet. Despite feeling kind of silly she can't help but smile at how excited Henry and Rocky are in their costumes. And they do look adorable.

"Well, how do I look?" she holds her arms out.

Garcia claps happily, joined by Rocky and Henry as Emily does a wobbly walk towards them. She really does look like the Scarecrow. She kneels down and smiles at Henry's Tinman outfit.

"You look great, Champ! Can you do his toot?"

Henry pumps his arm. "Toot toot!"

She laughs. "Perfect!" She looks at Rocky in her blue gingham dress, wig with pigtails, little basket, and shiny red shoes. "And you, Sweet Girl, look just like Dorothy." Emily looks at Garcia. "So, where is our Cowardly Lion?"

"Right here," JJ says from behind.

"Cool, Mommy!" Henry says.

Emily stands, Rocky in her arms. JJ has gone so far as to use eyeliner to draw on a nose and whiskers. Rocky cackles.

"I think she's saying you look great, Jen," Emily says to her wife.

JJ grins. "I hope so. You look good, Em."

"Thanks. I'll need to do a few things with make-up to make it perfect but I think it will work."

"You all look marvelous!" Garcia gushes. "Let me go put on my costume."

Emily chuckles. "The Wicked Witch or a Flying Monkey?"

Garcia narrows her eyes. "Be nice, Emster. You know what I can do."

Emily just laughs. She looks at Rocky. "Do you think Aunt Penny would make a cute Flying Monkey?"

The little girl claps her hands. Henry runs to his aunt.

"The monkey's cool, Aunt Penny!"

Garcia chuckles. "Okay, they are kinda cool. But I'm going to be Glinda the Good Witch."

Emily smiles and kisses Rocky on the cheek. "Yeah, that's the better choice. Well, go try it on. Goodness knows it won't be Halloween without Aunt Penny."

A few minutes later Garcia glides into the room. The kids clap and cheer, especially when she pretends to start casting spells. The family acts out a few scenes together and sings a few songs. Yeah, it was cheesy. Yeah, it was pretty geeky.

But yeah, the FBI employees need these crazy fun moments as balms for the mental injuries they get from the horror of the job.


	3. Chapter 3

Sunday after church JJ is getting ready to go pick up Declan for a Redskins game. As she puts on her fifth and final layer of clothing, Emily walks into the room.

"Both asleep?" she asks.

"Yep," Emily says and sits down on the end of the bed.

JJ turns and looks at her. "What's wrong?"

Emily looks confused. "What? What do you mean?"

"You're using you're 'I want to tell Jen something but don't want to tell Jen something voice' which tells me you need to get something off your chest."

Emily flops back on the bed. "You know me too well."

"Yep." She walks over and sits beside her wife. "Talk to me, Em. Is it about the costumes?"

Emily smiles and takes JJ's hands. "No. Those are fine. We'll have great pictures to torment the kids with when they are teenagers."

JJ laughs. "True. So what is it?"

"It's cold out, Jen."

"Yeah, I know. I have all my thermals on. I'll make sure Declan is warm enough, too."

"Right. Of course." Emily sits a second longer. "I know you've only gotten to go to 2 other games this year. Who knows when you might get to go again but…well…are you…I mean…it's cold, Jen. And getting colder."

It finally dawns on JJ what Emily is trying not to say. "Part of you wants to order me not to go to anymore games to protect the babies and part of you knows better."

Emily grins. "Yes. I just…what if you get sick? What if someone falls on you? What if you get food poisoning? A thousand different 'what if's' are pounding me in the head. The biggest one being 'what if she hates me for thinking I know better than she does' which is also the scariest."

JJ lies down and cuddles up to her wife. "Honey, I know you are just concerned for me and the twins. In all honesty, I've already told Morgan and Declan this is my last game this season for those very reasons."

"Oh, thank God," Emily murmurs as she pulls her wife close. "I know women go to games until they are ready to pop but FedEx is open air and always so crowded. I just…hate the thought of you there so much I almost told Morgan and Dec they couldn't have the other ticket."

JJ laughs. "Yeah, I can see how fun it would have been for me to have you badging anyone that came near me. Maybe even pulling your gun and forcing me to wear Kevlar."

Emily raises an eyebrow. "Kevlar…hmm..."

"Give it up, Prentiss. Not happening," JJ says with amusement.

Emily grins at her wife. "You suggested it," she points out.

"I didn't suggest it just pointed out a possible scenario in your head. It was profiling 101."

Emily laughs and nods. "Yeah, maybe it was." She rolls over and stares into her wife's eyes. "Be careful, honey. And have fun."

"I'll follow both of those orders to a 't'. Promise."

Emily leans down and gives her a deep kiss. "I love you, Jennifer Prentiss."

"I love you, too, Emily Prentiss."

* * *

"So, did you decide what to do for your career week project?" JJ asks Declan as she drives them to the stadium.

"Well, I really wanted to do stuff about you all at the BAU but we have to shadow our subject for a day. Since there's no way to know if you all will be on a case or something the teacher made me change."

"Bummer. We could have had some fun."

"I know," Declan agrees. "So I'm going to write about the diplomatic stuff Dad does and I'll go to work with him on Thursday. Then Friday we'll use class time to finish the paper before presenting them on Monday."

"Your dad does some neat stuff. I think you'll have fun with that," JJ tells him.

"I know but…but I think I want to be an agent like you and Emily. You know, a profiler type of agent."

JJ glances at him proudly. "Really?"

He nods. "Yeah. You all really help people. I mean, heck, who knows what my life would have been without Emily doing the stuff she did back when she was…you know…Lauren."

JJ reaches over and pats his leg. "You're right. I have to say of all the scary, crazy things that have come out of that time in her life, finding you and getting to know you have made all the bad worth it. We love you, Declan. And I'm proud to know you."

Declan blushes. "Thanks, Mom," he says quietly. "I love you."

"I love you, too." She pats his leg once more then turns the topic to something less emotional. "So, what do you think the Skins chances are today?"

Declan shrugs. "I don't know. Drew Brees seems nearly unstoppable lately. And if the Skins offensive line doesn't figure out how to protect the quarterback it's going to get ugly."

The two spend the rest of the trip critiquing their team and wishing they could coach them just once since the head coach can't seem to do a decent job.

* * *

Back at Chateau Prentiss, the kids awaken just before kick off. Henry insists on watching the game. Emily sighs. She had hoped to convince him to watch an Arsenal match that was airing on ESPN. But since JJ's last words to him were, "Maybe you'll see Declan and me on TV," Emily knew that she had no chance of seeing the soccer game.

"So, you two ready to sing 'Hail to the Redskins'?" Emily asks her children as they go into the living room.

Henry immediately launches into the song. Yes, JJ had taught him well. Rocky sort of sings along, almost getting the right tune though a lot of the words elude her. Emily sits on the couch and the kids sit on either side of her…to easily reach the bowl of popcorn in her lap. As the game gets ready to start, Henry suddenly sits up straight.

"Who dat?" he asks his Mama.

She grins, knowing what he's really saying. "Yes, that's your Daddy's favorite team playing Mommy's favorite team."

Henry slumps down a bit, a frown on his face. It is obvious to Emily he is trying to decide which parent to support. Emily gives him a hug and kisses his head.

"How about we cheer for both teams? That will be fun. Then we can be happy no matter who wins."

Henry's eyebrows rise. "We can do?"

Emily nods. "We can do that, yes."

He smiles. "Kay, Mama. Hail Wedskins! Who dat Saints!"

She chuckles and kisses him again. "You are a good boy, Henry."

"Si, I am," he agrees.

"Dooce, Mama," Rocky requests.

Emily sits forward and gets the apple juice box off the table and hands it to Rocky. "What do you say, Rock?"

"Mine."

Emily grins. "Uh, no. You say thank you."

Rocky smiles. "T'anks oo."

"Good girl." She runs her fingers through her daughter's curly dark locks. It just amazed her how fast these two little ones were growing. She shakes her head just imagining what it will be like to keep up with four active, growing youngsters. "You all are going to keep me tired, aren't you?"

Rocky just grins and hands her juice box back so she can get some more popcorn. The trio settles in to enjoy the game. Luckily Henry was able to root for two teams because, alas, the Redskins blew a fourth quarter lead to lose the game. Henry looks at Emily.

"Mama sad."

"Yes, she will be. Think you and Rocky can help cheer her up?"

He nods happily. "Si, Mama. We help."

"Good boy. How about you and Rocky come into the kitchen with me and help me make cookies. That will help her, too."

"Yeah! Cookies, Wok!"

Rocky claps her hands and the group sets off to make chocolate chip cookies. They would surely make JJ, and all of them, smile.

* * *

That evening, Emily comes up from the basement with a basket of clean laundry. She sees JJ at the island making a snack. She walks over.

"Want to share your- -oh, dear God…what the hell?"

"It's sooo good! I just…had a craving and wasn't sure how it would be but it's awesome! Want one?" she holds her snack out towards Emily.

The brunette wrinkles her nose. "You have got to be kidding me. Are you kidding me? Is this a joke?"

JJ shakes her head. "Nope." And eats the dill pickle slathered in peanut butter.

"Oh, that's just wrong," Emily states, a little sick to her stomach.

"I thought it would be, too, but it's not. Really! Try it!" She quickly doctors up another dill spear with a liberal amount of peanut butter. She takes a bite. "So good!" she says happily.

Instead of trying it, Emily pulls out her iPhone and snaps a picture. "I want to remind you in later years that there are worse cravings than sardines and anchovies. Oh, that's just so, so wrong, Jennifer Prentiss."

Emily turns and goes upstairs with the laundry, shaking her head in amusement as JJ takes another bite and makes her happy sound. Yep, so, so wrong.


	4. Chapter 4

"Good morning, Emily. I trust the California case ended without any more excitement," Dr. Lara Westfallen says on Monday morning.

Emily blushes and chuckles. "Uh, depends. Does me getting stuck with a hypodermic needle full of enough barbiturate to potentially cause an overdose and then having a scare until they prove the needle was not contaminated count as excitement?"

Westfallen stares at her a moment. "Why in the world do I ever think that this hour might be a boring one?"

The two women chuckle as Emily sits down on the couch. "Actually, after the initial panic passed and Reid talked me off the proverbial ledge things got better."

"You tried to shut them out?"

"Big time. As soon as the curtain fell, Reid was there in my face telling me he wouldn't let me push them away. Truth is I think he's the one that got through to me because he was standing closest to me at the time. I'm pretty sure they all would have said just about the same thing."

Westfallen nods. "So are you fully beyond any lingering doubts about your team?"

Emily nods. "Definitely. Jen said it best when she told me families fight and argue but as long as there is love family won't break. The family I grew up around tended to break."

"But your new family, including your parents, doesn't have that issue any more."

"Right. Maybe." Emily winces and bites her lip.

Westfallen waits a moment then pushes. "What's going on with your parents, Emily?"

Emily stands and starts to pace. "We started talking about names for the babies. Jen suggested if one is a boy maybe his middle name could be Gerald since Henry's is Alan. I hesitated." She pauses. "No, I more than hesitated. I actually got a little sick to my stomach at the thought." She stares out the window as she tries to work her emotions into words. Westfallen gives her the space. "I'm still scared Father will run. Or that he'll fall back into drinking. My first thought was I didn't want to name my child after an alcoholic. And my next thought was what if Father runs? Then we have to explain to our son that he's named for someone who bolted on his family twice." She turns and leans back against the wall. "I didn't even know I was just waiting for that, expecting that, until Jen suggested using his name."

"That had to have hit you pretty hard."

"It did. I felt so guilty about it. I…I can't even talk to him about it."

"I see. Emily, we once talked about the fact that you and your father never fully discussed everything regarding that time in your lives: the hurt, the lies, the betrayals, and finally the desertion. Maybe it's time you did."

"Maybe." She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "You know there used to be times I got jealous if someone touched JJ or she gave them a smile or something. I trusted her but I'd get jealous anyway until we could reconnect. But things have changed since Arizona." She moves to the couch and sits down again. "When I was a kid there was always a tension in the house. It wasn't until I was 12 or so that I realized it had to do with Father's affairs. Mother would get jealous of any woman in his life. She'd make snide remarks, almost asking for a fight. Most times she'd get that fight." Emily leans back, staring at the ceiling. "I don't know why it took a coma to click it in my head but for a long time I'd been losing those jealous waves. It dawned on me that jealousy is a form of distrust. I trust Jen with my heart, my life, my children. She won't hurt them so she won't hurt me."

"But you're still stuck on the fear that she can't trust you," Westfallen concludes.

Emily slowly nods. "Yeah. But she doesn't get jealous." She grins as she remembers JJ telling her about the foolish moment in the locker room, not to mention with Seth Stone in L.A. "Well, except when pregnancy hormones are raging. But even then she can talk herself out of it because she trusts. She didn't grow up the way I did so she just has to remind herself that she knows me and knows she owns my heart. Why the hell can't I accept the same thing about myself? Why can't I accept that my father…my father might be a better person?"

"I don't know. Let's start at the beginning. When did you first start to realize you couldn't completely trust your father?"

By the time Emily leaves at the end of her session she is more confused than when she started. The only thing she knows for sure is she and Gerald needed to meet and she deserved to get the answers, the true answers, the full answers from him regarding the trouble his drinking and womanizing caused them all.

* * *

On the phone, JJ smiles and winks at her wife as Emily settles in at her desk. As her computer starts to boot up she flips through her mail. Nothing looks pressing so she turns her attention to email. She sees Garcia has completed several runs for cases she's consulting on.

Hotch walks up and hands Emily a piece of paper. "Shrink appointment at 11."

Emily groans. "I just left my shrink. Doesn't that count for something?"

Hotch grins. "Sorry. Pro- -"

"- -tocol," Emily finishes with him. "Right. Right. Sure. One of these days I'll give that shrink something to freak out about."

"Just not today. Please," Hotch requests.

Emily chuckles. "Nope, not today. But someday I'll turn his hair gray."

Hotch just smirks and heads back to his office. Emily glances over at Reid.

"Lila okay?"

Reid gives her a small smile. "She will be. She kicked her fiancé to the curb."

"Good. I know you didn't like how he talked to her." She studies him a moment. "Reid, um, are you and Cindy still…trying to make it work long distance?"

The young genius slowly shakes his head. "She found someone else out there. We're still friends and we'll still have dinner or something if she comes back this way but I guess it just wasn't meant to be."

Emily gives him a sympathetic smile. "Well, if it is to be it will be, right?"

"I guess. Maybe I'm just destined to be a lonely old eccentric genius surrounded by books."

"And cats. All lonely old eccentric geniuses should have cats," she teases.

He laughs. "Right. And cats."

* * *

When the team gathers at 10 for their Monday morning meeting, Hotch reminds them all to get their expense reports and case write ups turned in as soon as possible. He looks at Emily. She nods before he can say anything.

"I know, I know. Don't miss the shrink appointment."

He nods. "Good. So how are the opens on our desks looking?"

"Hotch, what about the new Reese case?" JJ asks immediately.

Hotch sits back in his chair. "I was going to bring that up last." He looks around the table and realizes JJ had simply beaten the others to the punch. He pulls a folder out of the bottom of the pile in front of him. "But I guess I can tell you now. The medical examiner in Florida was able to confirm that Mitchell Reese killed the last victim in that case, the so-called copy cat. With that knowledge, the police looked into deaths of vagrants during that time and found the man that did the initial killings."

"Reese's puppet," Morgan states.

"Yes. Garcia, want to take over?"

Garcia sits forward. "Yes, sir," she says excitedly. "With one more city in the chain I have been able to start delving into their computer systems to see how he hid himself. Obviously he's not military nor has he ever been caught and fingerprinted for a crime or his initial background check would have shown that, right? So, what good is finding out where he started hiding his true identity? Because it could be that he erased his initial criminal record, maybe even his military record. We find that, we find where he started his reign of death. So, how do we find point A when we're at point, uh, let's just say Z, shall we? Well, I finally noticed a trend: the person who's fingerprints he swapped with his own was arrested in a previous city. He must have stolen that case file while he was in that town." She frowns. "Twice he's worked at news stations so I'm not sure how he got the criminal files but that's for the prosecution to figure out. Anyhoo, based on the convict he used in Florida, his previous city was Bangor, ME. And, yes, we found another series of murders and another convict who was allegedly working at the police station while incarcerated in, drum roll please, Ames, IA."

"Holy shit, Baby Girl! How far have you tracked him?" Morgan asks in astonishment.

"Iowa is running now. At some point we'll hit a dead end and THAT'S when I'll find the hack that tells us who Mitchell Reese really is," she finishes proudly.

The team gives her a round of applause. They'd had no idea how much work she was still doing on the Reese case in addition to the other cases that come through her office. JJ reaches over and takes her hand.

"Garcia, you are a dream and a half!"

"Aww…keep saying things like that," she gushes.

"Now I know why you drink so much Monster," Rossi says proudly. "Good job, kid."

"So how many years of killing are we looking at?" Reid asks.

Hotch sighs. "So far we're closing in on 8 years. Who knows how much farther back we'll go."

Emily shakes her head. "How the hell was he not on our radar sooner?"

"Maybe he was. We may have cases and consults we've done that are his we just didn't know," Reid points out. "Any chance we can get someone to go through our files?"

Hotch nods. "Already being done. Garcia is searching any electronic cases and we've got a couple of interns going through paper files that haven't been digitized yet. We're going back 20 years. It's probably too far but better safe than sorry."

"Twenty years," JJ whispers. "That son of a bitch could have been doing this 20 fucking years."

"Based on his age, more likely 15 with his current m.o.," Rossi says. "But he surely cut his teeth some other way first. He's one of the scariest sociopaths I've seen in my many years with the Bureau."

"He'll be a series of books for you, Rossi. Lucky you," Reid points out.

Rossi chuckles. "Right."

"So, if that's enough of that for now, let's get back to opens on our desks," Hotch says, taking control of the meeting back.

Under the table, Emily reaches over and pats her wife on the leg. JJ was always tense when Reese was discussed and she sighs gratefully at the small show of love and support. Reese was in jail and no one at this table will let him hurt her. No one.

* * *

At 11:01 Emily sits down across from the FBI shrink. The man rolls his eyes.

"Are we really going to get anywhere today, Agent Prentiss?"

Emily smiles at him. "Doctor, I promise you, I'm okay with what happened last week."

"Still seeing a shrink outside the Bureau?"

"Yes, sir. Met with her this morning. So, let me just say, I feel good, I still trust my team with all I have in me, and I am still sure I am doing what I'm meant to do for the Bureau and my country."

He grins and makes a few notes. "You know, Agent Prentiss, perhaps for the first time ever, I actually believe you are as okay as you say."

Emily laughs. "Yeah, I can believe that. So, what do we do for the next 43 minutes?"

He grins. "Well, humour me and answer a few more questions just so I can say we did this the right way."

"Done."

When Emily gets back up to the BAU floor she hands Hotch her clearance. "I'm as insane as ever, Bossman."

Hotch nods. "Good to know. Now, are you really okay?"

Emily grins. "Yes, I really am."

"Good. Then get to work. This isn't a social club," he grins.

She salutes. "Sir, yes, sir!"

His laughter follows her back to her desk.

* * *

Tuesday morning Emily is in a meeting with the Secure Operations Committee. She is listening to one of the most boring men she has ever heard in her life. She is sure that he is saying something that delivered by anyone else would be riveting but the man has a monotone voice that would slow down a cheetah.

She glances around the table and has to hide a grin when she sees the glassy stare of Jordan Todd, who represents the Counter Terrorism division. Jordan must sense the scrutiny because she shifts her eyes and locks them with Emily's. She casually reaches for her phone and types out a text. Emily's phone buzzes a moment later.

_"Are we dead and this is Hell?"_

Emily coughs to hide the chuckle. She slowly types a response.

_"Quite possibly."_

Jordan glances at the clock. "_Just 5 more minutes. I'll give this bore 5 more minutes then I take a bathroom break. Otherwise I'll fall on my face,"_ she types back.

Thankfully 3 minutes later he wraps up his talk. Jordan and Emily exchange looks of relief. The man leading the meeting glances at his watch.

"We're almost done here folks. We do have one note regarding word of an arms dealer that is planning to enter the U.S. within the next few weeks." He hits a mouse and a picture appears on the screen beside him. "Her name is Chloe Donaghy."

"A woman?" one agent blurts in disbelief.

Emily slowly turns and glares at him. "If you think women can't be weapons dealers you're deluded. The Nightingale out of Germany dealt more weapons into the mercenary market than you can name."

The man, like many well aware of Emily's past, looks appropriately chastised. The leader of the meeting continues.

"Anyway, we've got feelers out trying to see what she's planning here. As soon as we confirm she has entered the U.S. we will establish a small task force to track her movements. Any volunteers to help with that?" he looks pointedly at Emily.

Emily looks down at her notepad. No. Fucking. Way. She jots down as if answering out loud.

When he realizes Emily will not volunteer, he turns away. "So, that's all then. We'll see you all in 2 weeks unless something develops sooner. Agent Prentiss? A word please."

Emily nods. "Yes, sir."

After everyone leaves, she stares at the man. "Don't even ask, Scott. I won't do it. I can't."

"Do you know her?"

Emily slowly shakes her head. "I never had dealings with her. I vaguely know who she is from conversations back in the day but I don't know enough about her to even consult with the task force you'll set up."

"I see. Any contacts from those days that can help?"

Her mind briefly flashes to Clyde Easter. Then she thinks of Sean, Tsia, and the others on her team. She slowly shakes her head. "No. The ones that would be helpful are dead."

"I see. Well, if you think of anything that can help…"

"Right. Sure."

She grabs her things and leaves the room. She finds Jordan waiting for her in the hallway.

"You okay?" she asks caringly.

Emily nods. "Yes. Jordan, I know why they want me to help. And I know your department would benefit the most. Do you understand why I can't?"

Jordan nods. "Yes, Emily, I do. It's not just JJ and your kids. It's what it does to you mentally to go there. No hard feelings. I'm kinda pissed he asked, actually, knowing what you went through back then and then again a couple years ago."

Emily smiles and squeezes her arm. "Thank you."


	5. Chapter 5

"Mama! I Tinman today!" Henry says excitedly.

Emily smiles, giving him a hug and kiss. "That's right. Mommy and I are leaving work early with Aunt Penny and coming here to all get dressed up in our costumes. Won't that be fun?"

He nods excitedly.

"Good. Come on, let's go potty and get ready to go see Aunt Franny for breakfast."

"Kay, Mama. Aunt Fwanny costume?"

"Well, she'll be here giving candy away to the other little kids in the neighborhood. But I bet she can't wait to see how cool you look as Tinman."

Emily gets him to the potty and goes to check on Rocky, who is just starting to stir. "Morning, Sweet Girl."

"Poopy, Mama."

Emily laughs. "Do you do anything other than poop and sleep at night?"

Rocky just giggles in response. After getting both children down to Fran, Emily goes back upstairs. JJ is already in the shower. Emily smiles.

"Henry is excited about tonight."

"Great," JJ mumbles.

Emily chuckles. Her wife is getting grumpier in the mornings just like she was as time went on in her pregnancy with Henry. Emily walks over to the shower and opens the door enough to pass her wife the vitamin B drink Fran makes for her every morning. It's not coffee but it helps.

"I miss coffee."

"I know you do, sweetheart. But is the deprivation worth it?" Emily caresses JJ's stomach.

JJ smiles and leans out enough to kiss her wife. "Very much so."

Emily grins and closes the door so JJ can finish getting ready for work.

* * *

At 3:45 Emily hits send on an email to a detective in Topeka and sighs. She could open the next file and risk getting partly through before having to leave or she could find a reason to wander around until 4. A hand lands on her shoulder.

"Get out."

Emily looks up at Hotch in surprise. "What?"

"You've just finished a case, JJ has been straightening her drawers for 10 minutes so she doesn't get caught up in a case. Get out of here before something comes up."

Emily smiles and stands. "Thanks, Hotch."

He smiles and nods. "No problem. As soon as I drop this off in Straus' office I'm out of here, too."

"Good. Have fun tonight."

"Thanks. You, too."

Emily looks over and sees JJ is already standing and ready to roll. She grins at her wife.

"You ready, Lion?"

"Lead the way, Scarecrow. Glinda will be heading out in 5 minutes."

"Perfect."

"We'll get to see pictures, right?" Reid asks.

"Of course. Or come on by tonight on your way home if you want," Emily offers.

He smiles and nods. "I might do that. Can't wait to see my Godson as Tinman. You know, in the original book Tinman was- -"

"REID!" the Prentiss women say to stop the monologue.

He grins. "Never mind. See you later."

The ladies happily leave to get an early dinner and help their kids get ready for trick or treating.

* * *

JJ sits back on her heels and smiles at Henry. "Perfect."

She holds up a hand mirror so he can see his cheeks. He grins as he sees the silver glitter she had put on his face to help him with the whole Tin Woodsman look. He claps.

"Henry look goooood!" he drawls.

JJ laughs and shakes her head. "I have so got to find out where you get some of these statements. Come on, let's go show Daddy."

"Daddy! Yay!"

They go into the bedroom to see Emily has just finished connecting into the Skype session.

"Hey, Will. We found a strange little silver man in the backyard. Do you know him?" She asks as Henry runs over.

"Hi, Daddy!"

"Whoa! Look at you! You look great, Henry."

"I Tinman!" He pumps his arm, "Toot toot!"

"Yes, you are," Will laughs. "I love the glitter on the cheeks. You look great, Henry."

"Mommy coward and Mama scary and Wok is Do'thy," he tells his father.

"That's great. I wish I could have been there to be the wizard."

"Daddy gots to be Sup'man."

Will grins proudly. "Yep, I have to be Superman tonight since Spiderman and Batman will be out having fun."

Henry nods. He looks at the door and points. "Look!"

Garcia walks in dressed in her Good Witch finery. Rocky is with her. Garcia has given the little girl rosy cheeks and helped get her wig on. Carrying a little picnic basket with a stuffed dog in it she is a perfect little Dorothy.

"Wow! Garcia, Rocky, you two look great!"

"Thanks, Will."

"Hi!" Rocky says, waving at the screen.

"Hey, Rocky," Will greets her.

Leaving their kids with Garcia and Will (sort of), Emily and JJ go into their closets to change into their costumes. He chats with Garcia about her new girlfriend and she asks about Helen and their little bundle of joy. A half hour later Emily starts to sing, "If I Only Had A Brain" and dances out of her closet. Her children laugh and clap as she does a silly dance right up to them.

"So, how do I look?" she asks.

She had used make-up to give herself speckles on her cheeks to simulate burlap. She'd also done her eyes and nose to look like the Ray Bolger version of the character. She really does look cute. Will laughs.

"Emily, I could almost forget you're not the original," he tells her.

"Thanks, Will." She looks over her shoulder. "Jen, you ready yet?"

A scared voice answers. "Ohhh, umm…maybe. But…I'm scared."

Henry hops up and runs to her closet. "Come on, Mommy. I pertect you. I Tinman!"

JJ nervously peeks out of the closet, shivering. She has again drawn on the nose and whiskers. "Are…are you sure?"

"Si, Mommy. Henry tough like Deek."

JJ extends a paw. "Umm…okay. If you promise."

"Pwomise, Mommy."

Will, Garcia and Emily are laughing at JJ's wonderful portrayal of the Cowardly Lion and Henry's offer to be her bodyguard. Yep, it was going to be a great night.

"Well, it looks like y'all are ready to go get some candy," Will says. Henry runs over to the computer. "You have fun tonight okay, Henry, and be safe."

"Kay, Daddy. Save you candy."

Will smiles. "Thanks, buddy. I love you, Henry."

"Love you, Daddy. Love He'en."

"She loves you, too, buddy." He blows a kiss to his son, who blows one back. "JJ, Emily, thanks for this call."

Emily nods. "Anytime, Will. Wish you could have been here in person."

"We'll send you plenty of pics later this week," JJ promises. "Be safe down there in N'awlins," she drawls.

He grins. "Always. See you, Garcia and Rocky. Talk to y'all later."

They end the session and Emily lifts Rocky up into her arms. "So, Dorothy, ready to go trick or treating?" Rocky nods excitedly, though she doesn't quite get what they are doing.

The group goes downstairs and poses while Francesca takes a picture. Taking her camera back, Emily leads the group out so they can go trick or treating around the neighborhood before ending up at the community center for cider and treats. As they stroll through the neighborhood, they run into Skippy Jones, his brother and mother. The boys were dressed as Ninja Turtles. Marty Jones hadn't dressed up but loves that Emily and JJ had gotten so into the holiday.

"You two just look great," Marty gushes. "Maybe next year the boys will still be young enough to want to do a family type theme."

"I'm sure they'll love it," Emily says as she walks along with Rocky.

At the next sidewalk, the little girl pulls away and runs up to the door of the house behind her brother and the Jones' boys. Henry and Skippy knock on the door. The owner opens the door dressed like an old-fashioned vampire including cape. As he opens the screen door, Rocky spins around, drops her candy pumpkin and her picnic basket and races back towards her mothers in terror. She throws herself into JJ's arms.

"Oh, Rocky, baby, it's okay sweetheart." The little girl cries on her mother's shoulder, clutching her tightly. JJ rubs a hand up and down her back. "Rocky, it's okay, honey. I promise. Oh, sweetheart, it's okay."

Henry walks up. "Mommy? Wok?" he asks nervously.

Emily pats his shoulder. "She'll be okay, Champ. She was just startled." She walks up to the house to let their concerned neighbor know all is okay.

JJ smiles at Marty, "Maybe Rock and I should have switched costumes."

Marty just grins and runs a hand down Rocky's back. "She'll be fine. It's funny considering how scary some of the costumes we've seen on the teens this one was pretty mild."

"Who knows what made this worse in her mind. But she's tough. She'll be okay soon. Especially after the little reception at the community center."

Emily walks back up with Rocky's things. "Ready to go to the next house, Rock?"

The little girl just burrows tighter into JJ. JJ grins. "We'll just stick to the sidewalk, I think."

Emily nods as they follow the boys and Garcia down to the next house. By the time they get to the community center, Rocky is asleep in JJ's arms. Emily looks at her wife.

"Need me to take her?"

"Nah, I got her. You know, I'm not sure who's having more fun: the boys or Pen."

Marty chuckles. "She's so much fun. They all just adore her."

JJ nods as Pen gets the kids to start doing the hokey pokey. Henry even grabs his Mama and gets her in on the fun. It's a wonderful time for the Prentiss' and all the families in the neighborhood.

* * *

Emily helps Henry get his Tinman costume off. He'd had fun but Emily thinks next year a more free-moving costume will be in order.

"Did you have fun tonight, Champ?"

"Si, Mama. I and Skippy gots Bursts."

Emily smiles. "You sure did. You have several Starburst candies. Are they your favorite?"

"Si, Mama."

"Good. Then can I have all the others?" she asks with a wink.

He laughs. "No, Mama. But can have some."

She kisses his forehead. "Thanks, Sweet Boy."

Once he is in his pajamas they go back downstairs to say goodbye to Aunt Penny. Emily looks at him.

"You know, these cool costumes were Aunt Penny's idea. You should thank her with a big old Henry Hug."

He runs to her and Garcia scoops him up in her arms. "Did my Godson have fun tonight?"

"Si, Aunt Penny." He gives her a hug and kiss. "Love you."

"I love you, too, Henry."

JJ walks in just then, now wearing sweats and tee shirt. "Rocky didn't even wake up as I changed her. She's out for the night."

Garcia smiles. "It was a lot to take in for a 1 year old. And her scare probably took a lot out of her."

"Definitely," JJ agrees.

"Well, I must say you all looked absolutely adorable tonight," Francesca tells them. "And some of the costumes I saw as I passed out the sweets were cute and some very scary."

Emily nods. "I think as it gets later we'll see more older kids and the costumes will continue to get a bit freakier. Probably a good thing Rock is still sleeping."

Garcia nods. "True. Well, my lovelies, I think it's time for me to head home. A certain DEA agent is stopping by for a little treat or treat," she says with a wink.

Henry shakes his head. "No, Aunt Penny. It's twick or tweat or you no get candy."

Garcia laughs and kisses his cheek. "Ah, right. Thanks, Henry. What would I do without you?"

Emily walks Garcia out to her car. "You know, I was a little, um, freaked about the family costume thing. Needless to say, never done anything like that before."

Garcia laughs. "I bet not."

Emily squeezes her arm. "Thank you for this great new memory."

Garcia pulls her into a hug. "No problem, Emster. Wait until you see the sweaters I picked out for you all for Christmas!"

Emily laughs, "Uh, well…there's limits, Garcia. Keep that in mind."

Garcia just winks. "We'll see."

"Riiiight. Goodnight, you crazy lady."

"Night, Em."

Emily walks back to the front door, smiling and saying hello to a group of kids from the neighborhood as they skip along to the next house. She stops for a moment and just looks up and down the street. Families and kids are out all over. Houses and yards are decorated. It is wonderful.

She makes her way inside to hear Henry on the phone regaling his father with all he had gotten and seen. Emily smiles and sits down beside her wife and their son. JJ grins.

"He wanted to let Will know what he got so he could keep the right candy for his Daddy."

Emily runs a hand over Henry's head. "That's sweet."

JJ nods. "Yeah, it is. So, did you have as much fun as it looked like?"

Emily smiles. "I had a great time. I can't tell you how glad I am that Hotch got us off rotation for this week."

"Yeah. I think he needed it for Jack, too. I'm happy Straus okayed it."

The women look at each other and smile. "Pod person." They both laugh. Henry hands the phone to his Mommy. "Uh, Will?"

"Yeah, Jayje. I asked him to hand me over. Thanks for letting him call me."

"No problem. Any idea when you'll be up next?"

"Still waiting to hear about Thanksgiving. If I can't make it for the holiday I'll aim for the weekend before. I'll let you know for sure when I know."

"Sounds good. Be safe, Will."

"You, too. See ya later."

JJ hangs up and looks down at Henry, who is cuddled close and starting to snooze. "So, Little Man, you ready for bed?"

"Five more minutes?" he asks through a yawn.

JJ nods, grinning. "Sure. Five more minutes." She looks up at Emily, who just shakes her head in amusement. JJ just strokes her fingers through Henry's hair, soothing him to sleep. After about a minute, Henry's eyes are barely open. "Okay, Little Man, 5 minutes are up."

"Stowy and song?" he mumbles.

"Of course." She stands and lifts him up. "Oh, you're getting to be so big."

Emily lets Francesca know they'll be back down soon. Henry doesn't even make it to page 2 of his story before he is fast asleep. Emily sings to him anyway, smiling as he hugs Bear-Bear with one arm and has his other hand on Alaska.

As his mothers walk out, they pause at the door and look back at him, smiling. "Happy Halloween, Champ," Emily whispers.

And they head downstairs to take over the candy duties so Francesca can call it a day.

* * *

Wednesday morning is spent sharing pictures and stories with Hotch and the others about the fun of the night before. And the rest of the day is spent delving into consults, talks with D.A.'s and the other parts of their job that keep them from getting bored when they aren't out on a case.

Thursday morning the team is on their way into the round table room for a 9:30 meeting when Emily's cell rings. She frowns when she sees it is Tom Colter's home number.

"That's strange," she mumbles, which gets the attention of Reid and JJ. She answers. "Hey, Tom."

"Em…taken…Dec…"

Emily stiffens at how weak his voice is, not to mention the words he has said. "What? Who took Declan?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Thursday, November 2, 2011, 9:23 a.m.**

JJ leans out of the conference room. "HOTCH! HURRY!"

Hotch and Rossi race towards the room. Emily is visibly shaking.

"Says…Mom…shot…help…" Tom forces out.

Emily looks at Reid. "Get police and EMT's to Tom's house. He's been shot and Declan's been taken."

Emily is already racing out of the room. "Tom, you hang on. We've got help on the way. We're coming. Just keep talking to me."

"So…tired…cold…"

"STAY WITH ME, TOM! You have to stay with me for Declan, Tom."

JJ meets her wife at the elevator, Bureau SUV keys in hand. The rest of the team is there as the elevator arrives. Emily grabs JJ's arm.

"NO! You're pregnant, JJ, and we're heading into a possible shooting situation."

JJ looks devastated but Garcia takes her by the arm. "We'll monitor everything from my office. Come on, Jayje."

JJ can only nod, the terror in her eyes mirroring that in Emily's. Emotions are so high no one even notices Emily's slip up of using her wife's initials instead of her name. Emily keeps their eyes locked together until the elevator doors close. Garcia then gently leads JJ down the hall to her lair so they can start to monitor the emergency services response.

Using lights and sirens, it takes the team just 20 minutes to make the 45 minute drive to Tom's house. Emily leaps out of the SUV as soon as it screeches to a stop behind an ambulance and 2 police cruisers. She runs straight into the house, momentarily stunned to a stop by the trail of blood showing where Tom had dragged himself into the living room to get to a phone.

Suddenly Morgan is there, a hand on her shoulder as they move into the living room where two EMT's work to stabilize Emily's old friend.

"Oh, God, Tom…what have I done?" Emily whispers.

Hotch steps to the EMT's. "Is he conscious?"

"In and out," one medic reports.

Emily kneels down. "Tom? Tom, can you hear me?" She takes his hand in both of hers. "Tom, it's Emily."

Tom's eyes flutter open.

"Who took him, Tom? Who took our boy?" she asks.

"Don't…name…said…his Mum." He swallows, trying to will himself to give as much information as possible. "Irish…light hair…like…Lauren's…said wanted…her son…and to…kill…you…" his eyes close again.

"That's it! We have to move him," one medic says as a machine starts to blare.

Hotch and Morgan ease Emily away. She stares as if in a dream as he is loaded up and rushed from the house. Morgan kneels down beside her.

"Emily, we need to get back to Quantico. Do you know who Declan's mother is?"

She slowly shakes her head. "No. Ian said…said he killed her."

"Easter had been watching Doyle for years," Rossi points out. "We need to figure out who Ian was seeing when Declan was conceived."

"And that's at Quantico," Morgan points out. "Em, we need to go so we can find her and save Declan."

Emily just nods, still in shock. Morgan stands, lifting her up with him. She stares at the blood on her hands.

"What have I done, Derek? What have I done to them?"

He turns her and forces her to look into his eyes. "You gave Declan a life. You gave Tom a son. You gave them both the love of family. And now we will find Declan and reunite them. Do you hear me? We'll get him back. There is no other option."

Emily just nods, unable to speak as she struggles to build a special compartment for the fear coursing through her body. She doesn't even register as Hotch phones for special security for Tom until whoever took Declan is in custody. He is also to be notified as soon as Tom can give a full interview on what exactly happened on a quiet little cul-de-sac in Reston, VA. He then places a call to Garcia.

"Garcia, pull out everything on Doyle."

"Everything, sir? Even the- -"

"Everything. Even the classified documents. Somewhere in there is Declan's mother. We find her, we find where she's hiding out, we find Declan."

"On it, sir. Uh, JJ wants to know how Tom is?"

"On his way to the hospital. That's all we know right now."

"Right. Thank you, sir."

In the SUV, Emily sits in the passenger's seat, staring out the window but seeing nothing except her friend lying bloody and near death in the living room of his own house.

* * *

Reid and Rossi stay behind to process the scene and get Garcia access to the security system. When the first local detective arrives on the scene, Rossi goes to speak with him.

"SSA David Rossi," he introduces himself. "The owner of- -"

"We didn't call in the FBI. This is our scene," the detective interrupts rudely.

Rossi stiffens. "The victim called us. And his son has been kidnapped so it _is_ our case. Now we can work together to find Declan or we can have a jurisdiction fight that will waste time and you will still lose in the end. Your choice, Detective."

The detective raises an eyebrow. "Declan?"

"The 13 year old son of the victim, Tom Colter. He's a friend of a teammate and called her when he made it to his phone."

"Why call her instead of the police?"

"This case is…complicated. Look, I'll be honest with you, there are national security concerns here. I don't want to steamroll over you but there's a good chance it will be taken from you anyway. You might want to touch base with your captain to see if you even want to waste time here."

The detective takes a deep breath and considers what Rossi has said. He finally nods. "Let me call my captain."

Rossi steps away to see what Reid is up to. "What do you see, Reid?"

"He was attacked at the front door. He was dressed for work," he notes, looking at the pile of bloody clothes that lay in a heap where the EMT's had cut them off. "We should make sure they are processed in case one of the attackers touched or bled on him." Rossi nods. "There's a small footprint here in the blood. Just the toes but it's narrow. My guess…it's a woman's shoe."

Rossi nods. "Because a man would have bulkier shoes. Good call. That confirms Tom's statement about it being Declan's mother or at least a woman claiming to be her. Garcia into the security system yet?"

"I don't know. This is a high-end system which includes cameras."

Rossi nods. "Emily would have made sure he had the best on the market." Reid just nods. "So- -" he breaks off as the detective walks over.

"My captain already received a call. Any support you all need from the department you will have but he's okayed me to step off this one." He extends his hand. "Good luck finding the kid. Hope your friend makes it."

Rossi shakes the man's hand, "Thanks." Inside he says a thank you that Erin Straus, and possibly Director Ryder, had acted so quickly to secure the case as a BAU one. After the man leaves, Rossi looks at Reid. "So, how do you think this went down? They would have left via the garage? And why was Declan here instead of school?"

"I can answer the third one. There's some sort of career week going on. Declan is writing a paper on what his father does and part of that was shadowing him today as he works."

"The kidnapper had to have known that."

"It may be listed on the school website."

Rossi nods. "True. So someone rings the doorbell and they barrel in?" He says, gesturing to the small foyer table that is broken into pieces.

"Most likely. Hopefully the camera's will give us something to let us know how Declan is and who took him."

"Hopefully." Rossi walks outside and glances up towards the eaves of the house. The camera's look intact. "If they had a jammer we may be screwed but at the same point, they are so well disguised I can barely pick them out. Let's pray the kidnapper doesn't even know they are there."

Reid nods. "So the question is, why didn't they kill Tom? I hate to say it, but leaving a witness is risky so why not put a bullet in his head or heart and leave no one behind?"

"They needed him to get the message to Emily. The woman wants to kill her and wants Emily to know." He sighs. "He wants her to come after Declan."

"I concur." He looks Rossi in the eyes. "And she will. She'll turn herself into Lauren and go after that woman."

"Not if we talk her off that ledge first." He looks around. "Anything else we need to see?"

"Just one thing…"

Reid walks through the kitchen and out into the garage. He notes blood droplets on the ground.

"They took Declan out through the garage. That's why no one noticed him being hustled out into a car, van or SUV."

Rossi nods. "Yeah. This was highly organized. They waited for the right moment to do this, including making sure Tom would be able to call Emily. If the woman plans to take Declan back to Ireland with her she won't do it until Emily is dead."

"And we're not going to let either of those things happen," Reid vows as he stands.

Rossi studies the young man a moment. There is a hard look in his eyes normally only seen in Morgan's. Rossi claps him on the shoulder. "You're right. But don't let them cloud your strongest abilities with anger. We need your mind as much as your fighting spirit."

Reid takes a calming breath. "I…I know. I'll be fine just have to…process this all a little."

"Me, too." He stops as his phone rings. "Garcia, did you see anything on the video?"

* * *

After Reid had called with the security information Garcia had immediately started hacking into the system. She rewinds the feed, watching the kidnapping in reverse until an SUV pulls into the driveway. JJ stares at the large screen on the wall as video from 7:42 in the morning starts to play at regular speed.

"They didn't even try to hide their faces," she notes of the men.

"The woman did," Garcia notes. "That probably means she's easier traced than they are via photo recognition software."

The woman and a man approach the door. Another man sits in the driver's seat of an SUV in the driveway, a third in the passenger seat. The duo rings the doorbell and waits, casually glancing around to make sure no one sees them. When the door opens, they both turn. JJ gets a glimpse of Declan…including the flash of fear as the man puts a gun in the boy's face and pushes him inside the house.

JJ whimpers involuntarily. Garcia reaches back and strokes JJ's arm with one hand as the other hand moves the frames forward until she sees the SUV move.

The man drives it into the two car garage. At 8:33 a.m. the vehicle drives back out. JJ frowns.

"Why so long in the house? Garcia, can we see more of the street?" Garcia manipulates a few camera angles and JJ nods. "School bus. There are kids down at the corner waiting for a school bus. They busted in before the kids got there and then waited until the bus came and went before leaving. They've been there before, scoped it out, knew when to hit."

Garcia immediately starts to type. "Got it, Jayje. I'll start another tech reviewing the video for the days leading up to the kidnapping to see if we can see someone stalking the house."

"Good work, Pen."

"I'll also see if I can get a good shot of the license plate and decent shots of the guy so I can start it through facial recognition. The guys in the car will be tough but I'll try them, too."

"Right."

Garcia turns and looks at JJ. "Jayje…I know it's hard as hell, but try to calm down. For the babies. Please."

JJ nods, knowing Garcia is right but having absolutely no idea how to do so. "He wanted to shadow us," she whispers.

"What?" Garcia asks.

JJ tells her about the career week assignment. When she finishes, she looks from the wall to Garcia, tears in her eyes. "If he had he'd have spent the night with us. They'd have gotten him and Emily at one time. She might have taken Henry and Rocky, too, just for revenge. She might- -"

Garcia leaps up and grabs JJ by the shoulders. "But they didn't! They have Declan and they hurt Tom and they have pissed us all off more than words can say. We'll find these fucking bastards, we'll rescue Declan, and we'll protect Emily. There is NO other option. NONE! Do you hear me?"

JJ nods. She tries to say thank you but just bursts into tears. Garcia holds her close, knowing she needs to let it all out to help her gather her emotions and focus on the job at hand.

* * *

"LET ME GO!" Declan yells and kicks the man holding his arms in the shin.

The man lets go with one hand and punches him in the back. Declan groans and drops to his knees. Before the man can hit him again, a hand grabs his wrist.

"Touch me son again, and ye'll lose tha' hand."

The man reluctantly relaxes. He places a hand on Declan's shoulder to keep the boy on the ground as Chloe Donaghy slowly steps in front of them.

"Ye've grown inta a fine young man, Declan."

He says nothing, just tries to give her as angry a look as possible. But the fear in his eyes weakens the glare. Chloe just grins.

"Yes, yer weak now. But donnae worry: I'll teach ye how ta be hard; how ta survive; how ta lead." She strokes a hand down his cheek. "Yes…Mummy's here ta teach ya tha way of tha warrior."

"You're not my mother," Declan says, hating how weak his voice sounds.

"Oh, but I am. I'm yer only parent now. Doyle was done in finally. Tha' bastard wha' raised ye is dead by now. And before we go back ta Ireland tha' bitch wha' stole ye will be, too." She leans closer, locking green eyes onto blue. "I'll be all ye have, Declan. So ye'll learn my ways…or ye'll be dead, too."

"Then kill me because I'll never be like you or Doyle."

She smiles and pats his cheek. "Ye've got will. Good. I'll bend it ta me own soon enough." She straightens up and looks at her man. "Chain him ta tha bed. Lock him in tha room without tha light. We'll start ta work on tha' will right away."

The man smiles cruelly and drags Declan up. He shoves Declan towards a small, windowless room and chains his ankle to a rusty metal cot. Leaving Declan's hands tied behind his back he walks over to the doorway. He gives the boy an evil smile as he turns off the lights and slams the metal door.

Declan drops down onto the cot, finally breaks down and cries. "I want my Daddy," he whispers into the darkness.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thursday, November 2, 2011, 10:57 a.m.**

Emily spends the entire trip staring at the blood on her hands. It disturbs Morgan and Hotch how quiet she is being. When they arrive at Quantico Morgan lays a hand on her shoulder.

"Emily, before you go see your wife, wash the blood off your hands."

Emily raises cold eyes up to her best friend. She nods. "Right. Sure. Thanks. Um, go on up and, uh, start on stuff. I'll be up soon."

He frowns. "I can wait."

"I need a few minutes, Derek. Please," she whispers.

He studies her a moment. "Okay. Anything you need, Emily, anything at all, I am here for you."

"I need Tom okay and Declan back," she says bitterly.

"You know what I mean, Emily. Don't try to push me away. It won't work. I'm here for you no matter what until we bring Dec home to his dad."

Emily quickly looks away, trying to will her emotions under control. "Thanks. Excuse me."

She pushes past him, staring at the sidewalk as she storms towards the building. Hotch looks at Morgan.

"She trying to pull away?"

"I think she's at war with herself over how to handle all this. Can't say I wouldn't be the same way." He steps to his boss. "I'll take care of her, Hotch. Don't try to take her off this case. She'll go rogue and you know it."

Hotch nods. "I know. And it's already crossed my mind that we might have to let her."

"What?"

"Come on, let's go look at those files," he says, ignoring Morgan's desire for an explanation.

* * *

Emily runs her hands under the water until it runs clear once more. She scrubs her hands twice but it's no use. The blood might be gone but the guilt remains. She lifts her head and stares into the mirror over the sink.

"You're just another fucking Lady MacBeth," she accuses the reflection. "You did this to him. To both of them. Make it right, Emily. Make it right even if it kills you."

"Don't you fucking dare make that deal with the devil."

Emily turns to find Garcia standing behind her. The agent hadn't even heard her walk in.

"Morgan said you needed a few minutes to collect yourself. I wanted to make sure you weren't going to do something to cause your wife, my best friend, any more stress than she's under." Garcia stomps towards her. "And let me warn you right now, Emily Prentiss, I'll steal your gun and shoot you in the fucking leg before I let you track that woman down alone. You know as well as I do she'll kill you and STILL take Declan so don't you DARE go running out of here half-cocked on some sort of pointless suicide mission! DO YOU HEAR ME?!"

By the time she is done, Garcia is breathless, her face red with fury. Emily stares at her a moment then finally loses the tenuous hold she's had on her emotions. As she cries, Garcia pulls her into a firm hug.

"We're going to find him, Emily. We'll track that bitch down and save your son. I know that's how you and Jayje both feel about him. We'll bring him home and we'll do everything we can do to help Tom get better. For now just cry out the fear so you can go upstairs with me and start the process of finding Declan."

After a few minutes, Emily's sobs cease. She takes a deep breath and leans back. "Thanks, Pen. I needed the cry and the scolding."

"Anytime, Emily. Now, wash your face and let's go find your boy."

Emily gives her a small smile before turning to the sink to follow Garcia's instructions. As she wipes her face dry she stares at herself a second.

"You can do this, Emily Prentiss, without losing yourself. Without…without bringing her back. You can do this."

Garcia steps up behind Emily and stares at the woman in the mirror. "Emily Prentiss is stronger than Lauren Reynolds; smarter than Lauren Reynolds. You're damn right you can do this without that insufferable bitch."

Emily can't help but chuckle. "I never quite thought of Lauren as an insufferable bitch."

Garcia shrugs. "It's how Clyde Easter described her."

Emily stiffens, her eyes hardening. "He'll know. He'll know who this woman is."

"Already trying to find him. But most likely his notes will be more helpful. Hotch and Morgan are already going through them. Let's go give them a hand."

Emily nods. "Right."

Together the two women go up to the BAU floor. They go right to the round table room that JJ had already started turning into a task force-style room before the team had even started back to the BAU. Emily shivers as she sees Declan's picture on the white board. She walks over and strokes a hand down his cheek.

"We'll find you, Declan. I swear it."

She has no idea how glad Garcia and Hotch are to hear her say "we". Their Emily is still with them.

For now.

She turns to look at Hotch. "Where's Jen?"

"She and Morgan are grabbing some of the hard files from the storage room. Her name could be in the coded information we had issues with then ignored once we found what we needed."

Emily nods and goes down the hall to the file room. She sees Morgan walking out with a large box. She shivers when she sees "Prentiss/Doyle" written on the outside of it. She had thought this was all over. She pats him on the shoulder as she walks past him into the room. She closes the door behind herself, staring at the back of her wife. JJ leans on a table, obviously trying to collect herself.

"I never thought I'd have to look at those boxes again," JJ says quietly. "For two weeks I was mad as hell when the phones weren't ringing with leads and then petrified when they did ring because I was sure I was about to hear you were dead."

"Jennifer…I'm sorry…"

"You brought the horror of Ian Doyle and everything that goes along with him into our lives. Until now…I could forget the bad. You were alive and he was dead. We had…have Declan in our lives. And now it's all back again. I sit here wondering if that bitch is going to steal Henry or Rocky just to get back at you. I wonder if…if she'll kill me and the babies for revenge. I wonder if…if you're going to let her kill you for a chance to save any of us. And I am just. So. Fucking. Mad."

Emily shudders. "What do…" her voice cracks. She clears her throat. "What do you want from me, Jen? I will do anything to make this right."

JJ laughs humorlessly and stares up at the ceiling. "Right? What the fuck can you do to make this right? Nothing. It's me, Em, not you."

Emily frowns in confusion. "I…I don't understand."

JJ slowly turns and walks over to her wife. She pulls Emily into a hug, holding the brunette like she will never let her go.

"Emily Elizabeth Prentiss: you do what you have to do to save Declan. I will not judge, I will not try to talk you out of it." She leans back and stares into her eyes. "So many years ago you risked your life, risked arrest, risked so much to save him from the life Doyle planned for him. You couldn't have known it was lie about Declan's mother. Now we do. And now we will fight to stop her the way we stopped Doyle. Declan will live in peace with Tom once more because of what you do the next couple of days. If you…you…" JJ takes a deep breath. "If you die, I will hate it but I will be so proud of you because I know you will have died to save that little boy one more time."

Emily pulls her close. "Oh, Jen…I…I won't…I swear I'll…I…"

"I know, Em. I know you'll do your best to stay alive. But I need you to go into this without worrying about my feelings. Whatever you do, however this ends, I support you, Emily. Now and always."

Emily lays her forehead against her wife's. "Te amo, Jennifer. Te amo. Tiene mi corazon."

JJ smiles. "You have my heart, too."

Emily gives her a deep kiss, trying to put into all the feelings she has for her wife and children. When it ends she pulls JJ close once more. They stand there for a few minutes, drawing strength from each other to help steel themselves against the fear in their hearts. Emily finally sighs.

"We need to go."

"I know." She steps away and takes Emily's hand. "Let's go get our boy back."

Emily smiles and leads her wife back to the conference room. They find Hotch, Morgan and Garcia spreading out the files as Straus watches them. The section chief looks up as the women enter.

"Agent Prentiss, a word please?"

Emily nods. "Yes, ma'am."

Emily follows her down the hall to the older woman's office. Inside, Straus gestures to her sitting area as she closes the door behind Emily. The chief sits and takes a deep breath.

"Dave has explained to me who Declan is and how he came to be Tom's son. Let me just say how impressed I am that you risked so much to save a little boy all those years ago."

"Thank you, ma'am. But he saved me first. I was just repaying the debt."

"Be that as it may, how do you wish us to…to…address that particular point as it pertains to this unit's involvement in the case?"

Emily is confused. "Ma'am?"

"Emily, if it goes into an official report who Declan is and how he came to the U.S. you could conceivably lose your badge, not to mention face charges of kidnapping."

Emily slowly nods. "I knew that when I set this plan in motion. I'm still willing to face that possibility to save him again."

"So, you won't ask us to cover-up your deception?"

"No, ma'am. All I ask is that Tom be protected and Declan be allowed to stay with him."

Straus chews on the arm of her glasses a moment. "I promise to do everything in my power to make that happen and to protect you, too. I can't even imagine what you went through back then. It says a lot about your strength of mind that you risked so much for that little boy instead of just walking away from him."

Emily clenches her hands together. "Clyde Easter would have used Declan. He would have taunted Doyle with the child. It would have been horrible for Doyle. It would have been torture for Declan, who would never understand why he couldn't go to his father. I couldn't allow that to happen. I couldn't. I would face all the hardships again to save that little boy. And I'll face any consequences our government deems appropriate to save him once more."

Straus nods and stands. "Then let's go save that boy."

Emily stands. "Thank you, ma'am."


	8. Chapter 8

**Thursday, November 2, 2011, 11:42 a.m.**

Reid and Rossi step out onto the BAU floor. For now it is being reported in-house that the team is responding the kidnapping of a child during an attack on a State Department employee. That should keep too many questions from being asked. As long as no one goes into the conference room and sees all the information on Doyle that story should hold.

The two men walk into the room and see everyone studying various files.

"I just spoke with the hospital," Rossi says. Everyone looks up expectantly. "Tom is still in surgery. No word how long it will take or what his condition is."

"He's strong and has a lot to live for. He'll make it," Emily says confidently.

Everyone nods and goes back to digging through the files. Just after 2 p.m., as everyone is starting to get frustrated, the Oracle of Quantico races into the room.

"I HAVE 3 NAMES!" she says excitedly.

Hotch reaches for the papers in her hands. "Let's see. First one is Siobhan McDonald."

Emily shakes her head. "No way. She hated Doyle and she is a lesbian."

"You're sure?" Rossi asks.

Emily just raises an eyebrow. "About which part?"

"Never mind. You're sure," he admits.

Hotch looks at the next paper. "Okay, second name, looks German, Frieda- -"

"Also known as 'The Nightingale'. Not her. She's dead. Killed by a rival 4 years ago."

"Right. Last name is Chloe Donaghy."

Emily immediately stiffens. "Oh FUCK!" She leaps towards the phone and dials Jordan Todd's extension. "Jordan, get down here. Bring all you have gathered on Chloe Donaghy."

"Uh, sure, Emily. You okay?"

"No…no, I'm not."

"Be down in less than 5."

"Thanks." Emily hangs up. "In the secure ops meeting on Tuesday Scott mentioned that they had word Chloe Donaghy was entering the U.S. some time in the next few weeks. He had no idea why but wanted to put together a task force to track her down and apprehend her."

"And those are the files Jordan has?" Hotch confirms.

"Those and anything gathered since then. Hotch, we can't let this get too wide. If too many people try to bring her down mistakes will be made and Declan will be killed or taken away."

"I agree. Do you agree we bring Jordan in fully?"

Emily nods. "As fully as she wants to be. She may want some plausible deniability on certain aspects."

"Good. Did anyone see anything on Chloe in what we've looked over so far?" Hotch asks.

"I saw one brief mention of her dining with Doyle in France. It was determined it was personal not business," Reid answers.

"He was courting her," Rossi states.

"And she was probably using him," JJ points out. "Em, what do you know about her?"

"Very little. She's more a Jack of All Trades versus just a weapons dealer. She did it all: weapons, hits, assassinations, bombings. From what I heard, she just liked to cause mayhem and make a pretty penny off of it."

Reid thinks a minute. "But she was no longer working with Doyle when you became Lauren."

"No, she wasn't. He had enough of a network of his own to cause mayhem when needed. Why bother paying for it? And considering his feelings for Declan's mother, if it was her he would have cut all ties with her."

"So you never worked with her?"

"No. She wasn't in any of the steps to Valhalla." She shrugs. "Of course, if she really is Declan's mother she was a step we never even knew about."

"What did he tell you about her?" Morgan asks.

Emily leans against the small counter in the room. "When he told me about who Declan really was, he said his mother tried to kill herself when she found out she was pregnant. She did not want to have a child, especially not one by Ian. Ian, of course, wanted a child, an heir, a…a warrior. To keep the baby safe, he chained the mother to a bed, much like I was in Canada. He kept her like that until she gave birth and then, he said, he killed her."

"Nice guy," JJ mutters.

Emily blushes. "Yeah. So, uh, he never told me the name of Declan's mother. Just that she was dead."

Before any more questions can be asked, Jordan Todd walks into the room. "Hey, guys. Emily, here is everything we- -" she sees the white board and stops. "What's going on?"

Emily steps towards her. "We know why Chloe Donaghy is here in the States. She has come for her son with Ian Doyle."

"Doyle had a son? Since when?"

Hotch steps forward. "Jordan, we'll be upfront with you. We're searching for Donaghy. She kidnapped a young boy today and left a State Department employee fighting for his life."

Jordan's eyes widen.

"Much of what we find will need to remain classified," Hotch continues.

"Hotch, no," Emily interrupts. "We can't bury this to protect me."

"Protect you? What the hell is going on?" Jordan demands.

Hotch raises his hand to stop Emily. "Jordan, if you want to step out for deniability's sake we understand. If we tell you everything we'll need you to swear to keep it quiet. Not just to protect Emily, but to protect Declan and Tom Colter."

Jordan slowly looks around the room. She nods her head. "You may need information my teams find. I'm in."

Hotch gives her a tense smile. "Good. Let's catch you up."

* * *

By the time Hotch finishes explaining everything to Jordan, the woman is looking at Emily with a whole new air of respect. She stands.

"I'm going upstairs to make a few calls. Is there anything you want me to press about?"

"We need to know who her allies are, be they friends or just business associates," Rossi tells her. "And we need to know where in the greater Metro area they may be hiding that gives them a quick escape route."

"Private airports?" Jordan confirms.

"Or even where a boat or ship could leave from," Reid explains. "Anyplace that can give them privacy."

"Even a private airport would have too many people around," Emily notes. "Check anyone she works with for a warehouse of some sort. It would be in a rundown area where…" she shivers slightly, "…where screams wouldn't be heard or they would be ignored. They could use rail cars, shipping containers, anything to get Declan out of the country. Nothing is too far-fetched."

Jordan nods. "Understood. I'll be back as soon as I know something." She starts to go and stops. She looks Emily in the eye. "I'll protect you."

"No! No one needs to protect me," Emily insists. "I made this bed long ago. It's time I slept in it. If someone has to take a fall for what this team does it will be me."

Rossi steps towards her. "Emily, do you really understand all this could cost you if the truth gets out of this room?"

Emily slowly turns and locks eyes with her wife. "Yes, Dave, I do. But I won't have all of you penalized for my actions."

Rossi looks to Hotch. Their chief has been noticeably silent regarding the possible ramifications of this investigation. The elder agent has a bad feeling both Hotch and Emily will fight to see who falls on the sword to protect the rest of them. And he's worried he doesn't have enough favors to call in to save either of them. With a frustrated grunt he walks out of the room.

"I need some air," he mutters.

Emily just sighs and looks at Hotch. The chief just nods and grabs the next file on the table. JJ goes to say something but her phone rings.

"Jareau," she answers. She immediately stiffens. "Yes, sir," she replies to the caller. She listens a moment and her shoulders slump. "Oh, thank God." Pause. "Yes, sir, I understand but that's still good news. Thank you for calling." She hangs up and looks at everyone. "Tom is out of surgery. He's still in critical condition but everything is looking good. The next 24 hours will be crucial."

Everyone breathes a sigh of relief. It may not be much but every bit of good news they get will be gratefully received.

* * *

**Thursday, November 2, 2011, 7:42 p.m.**

Declan squeezes his eyes shut as light floods the room he's being held in. He grunts as someone rolls him onto his stomach and cuts the tape from his wrists. He winces as blood starts to flow freely into his hands.

"Open yer eyes, son."

Declan tries but the light is just too bright. "I…I can't," he replies as he shakes his hands, trying to get them to fully wake up. He jumps as he is slapped across the face.

"I said OPEN yer eyes!"

With his head down, he slowly forces his eyes open. Chloe grabs his chin and forces his face up.

"Who am I?"

"I…I don't know," he answers honestly.

She slaps him again. "Try again. Who am I?"

He knows now what she wants to hear but he refuses to say it. Only two women have ever acted like a mother to him: Emily and JJ. Even Louise had made sure the line between parent and caretaker was there, most likely because she was bitter over having to lose so much because of Doyle. Declan swallows and stares his alleged mother in the eye.

"You're the bitch that shot my dad and kidnapped me," he answers venomously.

Chloe gives him a smile, surprising him. "So, ye do have some spirit in ye. Good." He lets down his guard a bit…and she slaps him again. "But ye best learn respect, son." She pulls out a camera and snaps a close-up of his reddening cheek. She stands and nods to her men. "Put his dinner on tha table. Give him 5 minutes ta eat or he can go hungry all night."

A man carries in a tray with a sandwich, chips and a soda on it. He sets it on a small table beside the bed. As they start to leave, Declan calls out.

"How's my Dad?"

Chloe turns and stares at the boy. "Yer dad is dead. Killed by Emily Prentiss."

"Not Doyle. My real dad. Tom Colter."

"He's dead, too." She smiles proudly. "Killed by yer Mum."

She steps out and the door is slammed on his cell. Declan stares at the food. In his mind he hears Emily telling him to eat to keep his strength up. But he can't.

"Please, Emily, find me," he prays. "And, God, please let my dad be okay. Please. Please don't let him be dead. Please."

Just 5 minutes later the door is opened once more. A man walks in and lifts the tray. He shakes his head.

"Stupid kid. Ye best learn quickly tha' crossing Chloe Donaghy is a death sentence, whether yer her kid or not."

As that man walks out with the tray, two other men come in. One holds a gun on Declan as the other cuffs his hands, this time in front of him. As they leave they once again plunge the boy into darkness.

Declan lies down on the cot. He had no idea what time it was or how long he'd been captive. All he has right now is prayer and dwindling hope that Emily and JJ will find him before this woman that claims to be his mother can hurt him any more.


	9. Chapter 9

**Friday, November 3, 2011, 2:27 a.m.**

Emily is surprised when her phone rings. Her heart nearly stops when she sees it's her home number.

"Em?" Reid asks from across the table.

Emily grabs the phone and gestures to him to be ready to hit the trace program Garcia had set up just in case Chloe Donaghy called Emily directly.

"Francesca?" she asks desperately.

"Si, cara. I did not wake you?"

"No. What's wrong? Are you okay? The security detail is okay, right?"

"All is fine, cara. But Henry had a nightmare."

Emily can now hear Henry whimpering. "Oh, my sweet boy."

"He said he needed to talk to you because he dreamt a bad man took you and Declan and you are never coming home."

Emily pinches the bridge of her nose, trying to stop the tears from falling. "Can I…" she clears her throat. "Can I talk to him?"

"Si, cara. Henry, here is your Mama."

"Mama!" Henry says, fear in his voice.

"Hey, Champ. Aunt Franny said you had a bad dream."

"Mama, you hurt?"

"No, Henry, I promise. I am sitting here with Uncle Spencer trying to find where Declan might be."

"Deek hurt?"

Emily bites her lip a moment. She hadn't wanted the kids to know what was happening but Henry is extremely curious and had asked one of the agents sent as part of a security detail. The idiot had told Henry everything. She takes a deep breath…and lies to her son.

"No, he's not hurt. He's just…missing. We'll find him soon."

"Him lost?"

"Yeah…exactly. He's lost. But we'll find him and help him come home."

"Unca Tom hurt?"

"Uh, yeah, Uncle Tom is a little hurt but he'll be okay soon," Emily says, crossing her fingers that what she is saying is true. Tom was still in critical condition but holding his own at last report. "So, think you can go back to sleep now, Champ?"

"Miss you, Mama."

"I miss you, too, Henry. I love you so much. Can you do me a favor?"

"Si, Mama."

"I'm worried Alaska might get scared, too, or have bad dreams. Can you cuddle up to him and sleep with him to keep him calm?"

"Si, Mama. I take care Ska."

Emily smiles, a tear escaping to glide down her cheek. "Thanks, Champ. I knew I could count on you." She takes a steadying breath. "I love you and your sister so much, Henry. Please never forget that."

"Love you, too, Mama. Goodnight, Mama."

"Goodnight, Champ."

Francesca takes the phone back. "Get some sleep, cara."

"I will. We're taking shifts. I have a few more minutes."

"Okay. And, Emily, be careful."

"I will be. Promise. But…if…if something…you'll be there, right? Always?"

"Si, cara. Always. Ti amo, Emily."

"Ti amo, Francesca."

Emily hangs up the phone and buries her face in her hands. She has forgotten Reid is even in the room until he speaks.

"You're preparing to die for him, aren't you?"

Emily jumps as he starts to speak. She slowly looks up at him. She nods. "Yes. But I swear to God, Reid, I will not die easily. I will fight to save Declan and myself. I will not just give myself to her. And I trust this team to be right there with me to keep me alive."

Reid studies her a moment and sees the honesty in her statement. He leans on the table. "If…it happens…I promise you, every memory I have of you, every story I've heard about you, I will make sure Henry, Rocky and the twins know. I can't promise you much but I can promise to share your memory with your children."

Emily loses the fight to hold back her tears. She sobs. Reid stands and moves around the table to pull her close.

"We'll find him, Emily. We'll find him and have a plan to get him out of there. There is no other option. And I will do everything in my power to make sure you get home to your children. I promise, Emily. I promise."

As he holds her Emily can't help but realize just how much Reid had matured in a few short years. Sure he still had his awkward moments but he was more of a man than he knew. She slowly lifts her head up.

"You're a fine man, Reid. There's no one I'd want watching over my kids more than you. Thank you for giving me that peace of mind as we go into this shit."

He gives her a smile. "Anything I can do to help, emotionally or mentally."

Emily smiles and slowly stands. "I need a break. I need…I need to…"

"Go to her. Morgan and Hotch will be here soon for the next shift. If there's a break we'll wake you."

She squeezes his shoulder. "Thank you, Spencer."

He just nods as she makes her way out of the conference room. JJ is sleeping on the couch in Straus' waiting room. Emily stands in the doorway a moment. Light from the hallway gives her just enough illumination to study the serene look on her wife's face. If only she could stay asleep until the case is over.

Emily finally moves into the room. She starts to lower herself into an armchair when JJ's voice reaches her ear.

"Lay with me, Emily."

"I…I…"

"You've been crying."

"Yeah. Henry had a nightmare. Francesca called because he wouldn't go to sleep until he talked to me."

JJ slowly sits up and stares at her wife. "You lied to him, didn't you? Told him things would be okay, that Declan would be home soon, that Uncle Tom would be fine." Emily just nods. "And you told him you loved him."

"That wasn't a lie," Emily says quickly.

JJ smiles. "I know." She moves to kneel in front of her wife. "Thank you for telling him what he needs to hear to rest. That's what a parent does."

"Jennifer…she's going to make me…I'll have to face her." She takes her wife's hands. "I swear to you, I won't just…sacrifice myself. But if I have to die to save him, I will. I took him when he was a boy and everyday of my life I was waiting for the bullet in my head for doing it. I swear I never knew she was alive. Once Doyle was dead I thought it was safe to get to know him again." She starts to cry again. "I led her to them, Jen. Whatever Declan goes through, whatever Tom does, I led her to them."

"STOP IT! Stop it right now, Emily Prentiss!" She grabs Emily's head and stares into her eyes. "You saved Declan from a horrible fate at the hands of the people that should have protected him. You gave Tom a son whom he loves and adores. You did things that…shit…that I can't even begin to imagine thinking of doing to save Declan, get him to Tom, and give him a chance at a real life. And soon, maybe tomorrow, maybe the next day, you will find Declan and free him again. And so help me, Emily Prentiss, you will not die doing so. This team will NOT let that happen. Do you hear me? We all come home, Emily. We ALL come home."

Emily grabs her wife and holds her as they both cry out their fears. After 5 minutes, Emily leans back.

"Thank you."

"You never have to thank me for loving you. Now come lay with me, Emily. Let me keep your nightmares at bay for a while."

Emily nods, suddenly even more exhausted than she was before. Feeling like a zombie, she stands and lets JJ lead her to the couch. The blonde lies down and Emily curls into her. JJ holds her close, one hand stroking up and down Emily's back as the other massages her scalp to calm her.

"You have always been so strong, Jennifer. So much stronger than we ever give you credit for."

JJ smiles. "It's my secret weapon. I kinda like it that way."

Emily smiles and snuggles closer. "I love you."

"I love you, too. Rest now, baby."

* * *

**Friday, November 3, 2011, 7:40 a.m.**

"Between what Jordan was able to get for us and what we've pulled out of the ghost files, Chloe Donaghy was born into a life of crime," Hotch begins. "Her father and grandfather worked both sides of the Catholic-Protestant conflicts in Ireland. Additionally, she had an uncle who was helped them deal anything to anyone anywhere in Europe."

"So why wasn't she on the take down list for JTF-12?" Rossi asks.

Emily sighs. "Lauren went after…" She takes a deep breath. "I went after the rungs that would help me climb the ladder to Valhalla. JTF-12 had spent a year building the reputation and mystery of Lauren Reynolds. By the time I actually took over the persona, Donaghy had been discounted as unnecessary to the mission. She was an ex of Doyle and was part of the bevy of women used to develop the…aspects of my character that would attract him."

"Easter saw she fell off the radar for a while after she broke up with Doyle. He assumed it was because he had beaten the crap out of her and she knew she couldn't let her family know," Hotch continues. "Her family would have gone after Doyle and Doyle would have slaughtered them."

"So she does have a devotion to family," Reid says in surprise.

"But not to her son," Emily states, nearly choking over the last word. She stands and begins to pace in agitation. "When Chloe found out she was pregnant she tried to overdose. She didn't want to bring Doyle's child into the world. I…I don't know if she was more worried about pregnancy taking her out of the game or if she truly just didn't want to bring another creature like him into the world."

"But suicide would have been against her religion," Rossi points out.

"She just wanted to cause a miscarriage, not kill herself most likely."

"How did Doyle keep her from trying again?" Jordan asks.

Emily stares at the wall. "He…he kept her tied to a bed for the duration of her pregnancy. He kidnapped a midwife to care for her and help bring the child into the world. That midwife was Louise O'Bannon, who you all came to know as Louise Thatcher."

"Declan's nanny?" Morgan confirms.

"Yes. Once the child was born, Declan gave Chloe £50,000 and told her to disappear. He also said if she ever came after Declan she would die a slow, painful death. It…wasn't an empty threat and she knew it."

"So now she knows Doyle is dead but how does she know Declan is alive?" JJ asks.

Jordan sits forward. "The body of Louise O'Bannon was found yesterday in an abandoned building in Belfast. Based on healing patterns and bruise colorations, they believe she'd been tortured for days."

"Until she finally gave up the information on Declan," JJ concludes.

"That's our assumption," Jordan agrees.

JJ nods. "Okay, so now we know who she is and how she found Declan. How the fuck do we find her and save him?"

"You know, the kidnapping of a child by a parent usually means the child will be okay. She may have already left for Ireland with him," Reid points out.

"So far our overseas contacts have not reported any flights into the private airstrips she and her business partners use," Jordan says.

"But they got her here. And they are waiting to take her home," Emily points out. "We need to know who those partners are and where they have planes right now. She won't be far away from her escape route."

"Let's not jump to conclusions," Morgan states. "We're also on the East Coast. The right boat or ship will get them to Ireland eventually, too. They could even put him in a shipping container and smuggle him out that way."

Emily can't stop the moan at that thought. She drops back down into her seat. She takes a deep breath. "She's not gone. Not yet. I'm sure she'll be ready to go at a moment's notice. And the final confrontation will take place near her escape method. Once I'm…" she glances at her wife and away again, "…dead, she'll make her jump across the pond. But not until then. It's a blood debt and she demands payment."

Reid glances at JJ. Her hands are clenched together so tightly her knuckles are white. Her eyes are wide with fear but she says nothing…because she knows Emily is right. He shakes his head, once again amazed at the women's ability to compartmentalize their feelings about each other when they really just want to lose their shit. He does the only thing he can do: he reaches out and puts a calming hand on her arm. She gives him a brief smile in return.

Morgan looks at Hotch. "So, what's the plan?"

"We need to keep digging. We need to find her escape route," Hotch says.

"That's not what I meant. I meant, how do we draw her out so that we can rescue Dec?"

Hotch looks at Morgan. "I know what you meant." He looks at Emily. "Prentiss, you're with me. Give me 5 minutes."

Emily nods and follows him out of the room. Morgan looks around. "Anyone else know what's going on?" Everyone shrugs.

"Maybe he's just checking her mindset," Rossi suggests.

"Maybe," Morgan says doubtfully. In his mind, he keeps thinking about Hotch's statement that they might have to let Emily go rogue to solve this one. Over his dead body would he allow his best friend to go off alone. Not. Fucking. Likely.

* * *

Hotch gestures to the sitting area of his office. Emily sits on the edge of the couch.

"Don't try to pull me off of this, Hotch," she warns him.

"I wouldn't dare. We need to talk about what we'll have to do when we find her. I think we both know what has to happen."

Emily studies him a minute then leans back on the couch. "You're going to let me confront her alone."

"Yes. Within certain parameters."

"Such as?"

"You'll wear a tracking device other than your phone. She'll most likely make you get rid of that anyway."

"True. And once I get face to face with her, if she has me under control, she'll find anything that looks like a tracking device."

"What if we plant it in your boot?"

Emily nods. "That should work. I doubt she'll make me take them off and I shouldn't have any reason to take them off myself."

"Will she be watching Quantico?"

"Definitely. We'll need to make my bolt look good."

"You sneak out, get in an SUV, we notice late. About the time you're casually pulling off base we'll be flying up behind you lights and sirens."

"And I'll lose your asses in the direction opposite where we're really headed."

Hotch nods. "Perfect."

"I'll need to steal a car." Hotch raises an eyebrow. "No way I'd risk you all tracking the Bureau SUV. So I'd dump it someplace and steal a non-descript car. I'll even switch license plates on the car to keep it from being caught on a BOLO."

Hotch nods. "It's almost scary how much we're thinking alike."

Emily grins. "Bet you never thought that would happen that night I ambushed you here in your office to prove I belonged on this team."

He chuckles. "You got that right." He takes a deep breath. "I'm letting you go rogue, Emily. But you won't be alone. Trust that."

She nods. "I do."

"Good. Go back with the others. I need to arrange a couple of cars for you to steal. I'll have one north of the base, one south. There will also be a car at the next mini-mall parked where you can take the plates without being seen easily. Any vehicle preferences?"

"I need a dark coloured sedan that won't draw attention but can be easily hidden in the shadows. It's what she'd expect me to steal."

"Got it. I'll get on it now."

"Hotch…Aaron…thank you."

He nods stiffly. "No thanks needed."

* * *

On her way back to the conference room, Emily gets a text alert on her phone. She pulls it out and opens it up.

"NO! FUCKING BITCH!"

At her first yell, her teammates had been running out of the room to check on her. They see it is taking all her self-control not to toss her phone across the room. JJ gets to her and grabs her hand.

"What is it, Em?"

Emily can't speak. Her face is red with fury. She shoves the phone at JJ. JJ watches her wife a second then looks down at the picture. She winces when she sees Declan's face, one side of his face obviously red from being hit. She turns to Garcia.

"Trace this text, Pen." She hands off the phone then turns back to her wife. "She's taunting you, Em. He's alive. Hold on to that. Bruises will heal. He'll be okay."

Emily just nods, not trusting her voice at the moment. She takes JJ's hand. "We need to talk."

She pulls JJ towards Rossi's office since it's closest. She shuts the door behind them and starts to pace.

"Hotch and I came up with a plan."

"And I'm going to hate it with a passion, aren't I?"

"Definitely." Emily lays it out for her wife. "JJ…shit, sorry…Jennifer, I swear, if there was another way, if I could see another option, I would take it. She'll lead me to her step by step. It's all we can do. But by stealing a car that we've set up to steal, we have a good chance of never getting separated. Now, if she's got a car or a ride waiting for me, I'll have the tracker in my boot."

"What will happen if she gets you in a car with her men?"

Emily's eyes harden. "I'll let them get me as close as they can to her hideout. Then I'll…put them out of commission and continue on my own to stall for time until backup arrives."

"Put them out of commission? You mean kill them? Just like that?"

"Not necessarily. Don't get me wrong, if it's a choice between me or them, or Declan or them, they'll die. But I promise you, I won't just murder them."

JJ nods. "Okay. Right. Okay. So…so, uh, fuck I don't even know what to ask."

"Then don't ask anything, Jennifer." She pulls her into a hug. "Just share some of that strength you have with me."

"I can do that. I can do that with no problem at all."

Emily is desperate to get back to the information in the conference room but she knows her wife needs this moment. And, if she's honest with herself, she needs it, too.

* * *

**Friday, November 3, 2011, 8:02 a.m.**

Declan sits up as the door of his cell opens. One man holds a gun on him as another brings in a tray of food.

"Five minutes, kid," he says as he sets it on the table.

As soon as the men are gone, Declan looks at the food. It has been more than 24 hours since he'd eaten anything. He wants to refuse the food but he knows his father, Emily and JJ would be upset if he doesn't try to survive. He scoots to the edge of the bed and looks it over.

"Just eat it, Declan," he mumbles to himself.

He lifts the bowl of cereal and starts to eat. His hunger takes over and soon he has eaten all the cereal, the apple and drunk the juice. He puts the water bottle under his pillow, hoping his captors won't notice he has kept it.

Exactly 5 minutes after his breakfast was delivered, the men come back and take the tray away. Declan hopes to be left alone but the woman claiming to be his mother walks in. He hates that he fears her more than the men.

"Enjoy yer breakfast, Declan?"

Declan just nods. She raises an eyebrow.

"Ye should speak when spoken to, son. Now, did ye enjoy yer breakfast?"

"Yes," Declan whispers.

"Good." She walks closer to him. "I thought ye should know, Tom Colter died last night."

"NO! YOU LIE!" Declan screams.

Chloe smiles. "Ah, I do love ta see tha' spirit. Much better than tha' mamby-pamby scared silence ye've been giving us."

"My dad is NOT dead!" Declan insists.

"Aye, he is. But I do have a surprise fer ye. Tha' bitch wha' stole ye will be here later taday. I sent her a little text showing your face all red from being slapped. I'm sure tha' has her a wee bit riled up. Later taday she'll get a special package from me. She'll be here by nightfall and dead by midnight, her body tossed inta tha sea ta feed tha sharks." She steps closer. "Tha choice will be yers, Declan."

"What…what choice?" he asks suspiciously.

"Ye'll get ta choose how she dies. Slow and painful, or quick and easy. Think about it, son."

He starts to shiver. "No. NO! I won't do it! I won't decide!"

Chloe smiles. "Then I'll choose slow and painful. And ye'll get ta see just how much fun torture can be."

She turns and walks out. Declan tries to tackle her but one of her men intercepts him and body slams him into the ground. Chloe watches as Declan groans, trying to regain the breath that had been forced out of his lungs.

"Lesson 1, Declan…never, ever raise a hand ta me."

She turns and walks out, her men right behind her. The man that had stopped Declan turns and gives him an evil grin. He turns off the lights as he slams the door, once more plunging Declan back into suffocating darkness.

Declan slowly crawls to the bed and pulls himself up onto it. He doesn't even try to stop the tears as he wonders if his father is really dead and wonders if he's going to have to watch Emily get killed right in front of him.

"Please, Emily, please come save me again. Please. Please save me again. Please," he sobs over and over until he cries himself back to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**Friday, November 3, 2011, 10:43 a.m.**

_Lauren Reynolds paces in the living room of Ian Doyle's Irish manor house. She studies the portraits on the wall and sneers._

_"You're not his family," she mutters. "Bastard just wants people to think he's somebody."_

_For the first time since she'd gone undercover, Emily Prentiss surfaces, remembering summer days spent on her grandfather's vineyard in France. Paintings such as these decorate the Dupois home but they are her ancestors; her tie to the world; her link to a life given up for her job._

"_Hi."_

_Emily spins around, the persona of Lauren slipping back into place. She stares at a young boy with curly blonde hair. He's smiling at her._

_"Uh, hi, kid. Who are you?"_

"_Wanna play?"_

_Lauren raises an eyebrow. "Um, play? Play what?"_

_The little boy shrugs. "Donnae know. Snakes and Ladders?"_

"_Uh, I am, uh, sort of waiting for…"_

_"For Mr. Doyle?"_

_Lauren nods. "Yeah, him. Who are you?"_

_"Declan! There ye are!" A harried woman rushes into the room. "Pardon us, Miss. Declan, ye need ta be doing yer lessons no' annoying Mr. Doyle's guest."_

_Lauren forces a smile to her face. "He's not annoying me. He's your son?"_

_"Aye, he is. He jus' fergets 'tis time fer lessons no' fer play. Come along now, Declan."_

"_Maybe she'll play with me later, Mummy?"_

_The woman looks apologetically at Emily. Emily, however, is fixated on the child. Why in the world would this child find her at all appealing?_

_"Um, I, uh, don't know, kid. Just have, uh, business here." She glances at the boy's mother. "I'm, um, not real experienced with kids."_

_The woman smiles. "I can tell, Miss. He'll no trouble ye again."_

_The woman takes the boy by the hand and leads him out of the room. Emily watches them go. He suddenly pauses and turns back toward her. He smiles and waves. Emily surprises herself by waving back._

"Focus, Lauren. Forget the maid's kid and concentrate on your target,_" she coaches herself._

"_Glad to see ye made it."_

_Lauren spins around and gives Ian Doyle a calculated smile. "Worried I'd leave you in the wind?"_

_"No. I know yer reputation. Yer word is good. If it wasn't, I'd have killed ye in Boston."_

_Lauren gives a half-grin. "You could have tried."_

_Doyle studies her a moment. He gestures towards the hallway with his head. "Ye like kids?"_

_"Only in pictures," she jokes._

_"Ah. Well, Louise will keep him out of yer hair while yer here."_

_Lauren raises an eyebrow. "Oh? And how long will I be here?"_

_Two of Ian's men walk into the room. One has a gun drawn. Inside, Lauren's stomach does a flip. Outwardly, she gives no sign of distress._

_"Sorry, boys, I'm not into gangbangs," she says dryly._

_Ian gives her a crooked smile. "Yer word is good. Yer reputation, so far, has seemed deserved. But ye'll be my…guest…until I finish checking ye out."_

_Lauren chuckles. "No, Mr. Doyle, I won't."_

_The two men move closer to her. She flicks her wrists and two guns fly out of her sleeves into her hands. She holds the men at gunpoint. Ian chuckles._

_"Brave. Or stupid, I'm no' sure which."_

_She slowly brings one gun around…and points it at Ian's crotch. She grins. "Feeling lucky? Take a guess." She slowly cocks the gun pointed at his family jewels. "Better yet, let me explain: I am no man's prisoner."_

_Ian stares at her a moment then starts to laugh. "I think I'm going ta like ye, Lauren." He looks at his men. "Get out."_

"_But, Ian," Liam starts._

_"Go, Liam. Lauren and I need ta talk business."_

_Lauren's guns don't waver as the men make their way out of the room. Ian walks over to the mini bar in the room and pours a couple fingers of Scotch. He turns and offers her a glass._

_"Scotch?"_

_"I'd prefer wine," Lauren says as she returns her guns to their spring holsters._

_Ian nods and reaches for a bottle opener. "Red or white?"_

_"Surprise me."_

_Ian grins. "Aye, I guess it's my turn fer tha surprise."_

_Lauren nods and moves towards the bar. He offers her a glass of merlot. She tilts her head to the side._

_"After you. I insist."_

_Ian smiles knowingly and takes a sip. Lauren watches him a moment before accepting the wine from him. He holds up his glass towards hers._

_"To tha beginning of a…fruitful relationship."_

_Emily grins. "To money. And…maybe more," she adds flirtatiously as she clinks her glass against his and drinks._

* * *

"EMILY!"

Emily jumps and sees a very scared Penelope Garcia staring in the mirror at her. Emily quickly shuts off the water and reaches for a paper towel. Garcia just studies her, letting her calm a bit before pressing her.

"Emily, where were you? What had you looking so sad?"

Emily turns around and leans back against the wall. "I was…remembering the first time I ever saw Declan. I wasn't expecting Ian to have a child so those…those blue eyes never registered with me. They were just like Ian's. But I was so intent on proving myself his equal in business and in love that…that I just didn't see Declan for what he was…for who he was."

"Of course you didn't, honey," Garcia says, laying a hand on her friend's arm.

Emily smiles. "He asked me to play with him. He wanted to play Snakes and Ladders. He wasn't scared of me or intimidated by me. He just…wanted to play."

Garcia smiles. "Maybe even then he knew he could trust you."

"Maybe. Or maybe he just really needed a friend."

Garcia nudges her. "And he got something even better than a friend."

Emily nods. "I guess so."

"Hey, now, I know so. You gave him a father who loves him and respects him and wants to keep him safe. And you've given him two mom's that are going to work with his aunt and uncles to bring him home safely to that father."

"God, Pen, what if we don't? What if we fail him and Tom both?"

"Won't happen, Emily. Come on, you need to see what we've found."

"A lead?"

"Four, actually. We need your help to narrow it down."

Emily stands up straight and nods. "Right. Let's do it."

"And, Emily, thanks for not pushing us away," Garcia says, pulling her into a hug.

"Well, fuck, Garcia, I've tried pushing you all away before. Doesn't work so why waste the energy?" Emily points out with a grin.

Garcia loops her arm into Emily's and leads her out. "Damn right, Emster. About time you learned."

As they walk into the round table room, Emily looks at Hotch. "What have you got?"

"Four possible allies helping Donaghy out of the country. The first is Lachlan McDermott. His family has an import/export business and uses a private airstrip in Maryland. They also have a couple of warehouses that would be perfect for holding a kidnap victim."

Emily slowly shakes her head. "Ian killed his brother and I don't see Chloe going to him for help. Not if she really wants Declan back. Lachlan would kill Declan to end the bloodline."

Hotch nods and flips to the next screen on the computer. "Choice 2 is a Frenchman named- -"

"Jacques Scirroco," Emily mutters. She starts to pace, running through her memories of the man. "What's his escape option?"

"He works with a man that has a dockside warehouse. DEA has had it flagged as probably bringing heroin into the U.S. but they haven't been able to catch them in the act."

"Where's the warehouse?"

"Baltimore."

Emily studies the face of the man on the computer screen. The last time she had seen him he was bleeding from the scar that now mars his face; a wound she had given him with a ceramic knife. When Morgan touches her arm she flinches.

"Hey, easy, Princess. What's going on in the brunette covered dome of yours?"

Emily takes a deep breath. "He and Lauren…fought. He double-crossed her and sold a shipment of weapons out from under her to, of all people, Ian Doyle. She had to show him that no one crosses her. She found out later it was a test by Ian to see what she was capable of. He'd started to suspect she was a cop but the…the beating she gave Scirroco convinced him she was as psychotic as he was."

"You gave him that scar?" Rossi asks.

"Yes, I did. And if he knows I'm Lauren, he's the one helping. If he doesn't, I can't imagine him putting his neck on the line for Chloe."

Hotch looks at Garcia. "Call Jordan and see what she knows."

"Will do. Maybe I can call the DEA, too?"

He nods. "Do it." He looks back to Emily as Garcia starts to type. "And third in the line is Sirhan Saberri. He is- -"

"Saberri is dead," Emily states.

Hotch frowns. "What? Are you sure?"

Emily nods. "I'm sure." She stares her boss in the eyes. "Lauren killed him when he set up an ambush of Ian Doyle. He couldn't avenge himself so he asked her to do it. Easter gave me the go and swore it would be faked. Just another time that fucking bastard lied."

"Why don't the databases know he's dead?" JJ asks.

"Because Easter took care of the body. I have a feeling he used the legend of Saberri to explain away a lot of things that were done by me and other operatives. If his name is still active, it's still being used by Interpol. But they wouldn't condone actions in the U.S. on his behalf. Especially not kidnapping."

"So you're saying the Saberri in the underworld is now really just a…an operative like you were?" Reid says incredulously.

Emily nods. "Yes. Look, you all know the Lauren Reynolds name was established before I took it over. I don't know it for sure but I'd bet money she really existed and was…taken out of the game so someone else could step into her shoes. There's no way I could have had the ins, had the reputation, without face to face meetings."

"And if you ran into anyone that knew the real Lauren Reynolds you'd have been killed!" JJ says in horror.

"Yes. But there was slim chance of that. You can imagine why," Emily states emotionlessly.

Reid just shakes his head. "And this was all…condoned by our government."

Emily glares at him. "Yes, it was. And if you think things like that haven't been going on for years you're seriously deluded. We can't know the things we know, can't stop the things we do, without breaking a few laws along the way."

Reid studies his hands a moment. "I'm not sure I can accept that."

"Accept it or not, it's the truth, Reid. And it's why if you ever even considered joining a task force with Interpol I would have to shoot your kneecaps off," she tells him.

He slowly looks up and grins. "Gee. Thanks."

"Okay, so option 4," Hotch says to alleviate the tension. "Bernadette Kizorsky."

Everyone notices the softening of Emily's face. JJ can't help but chuckle.

"You were a couple," the blonde states.

Emily slowly nods. "Yes, we were. I used her for 3 months to get to the man just below Marcos San Mejia. I felt bad the way I ended things with her but the goal was Valhalla."

"How did you end things?" Morgan asks.

"Lauren needed to make the deal that would get her to San Mejia. Bernadette had the weapons Lauren needed. So, I stole what I needed from her and blew up the rest. Made sure there was enough incriminating items left in the rubble to get her sent to Turkey to stand for a few crimes over there." She takes a deep breath. "So, yeah, if she knows I'm Lauren she'd be willing to help Chloe. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Chloe wasn't planning to kill me but rather use me as payment to Bernadette."

JJ runs both hands through her hair. "Son of a bitch. How can you talk about all this so…so…fuck, Em…"

Emily nods. "Yeah, that about says it all. It's like looking at another life, another unsub. Lauren was so different than me it's easy to forget she was me." She takes a deep breath. "So how would Bernadette get Declan and Donaghy out of here?"

"She owns a large estate in Florida. It has its own airstrip."

Emily thinks a minute then shakes her head. "Too far away. Jacques Scirroco…he's the best bet. She has Declan and doesn't want to be in the States any longer than necessary. She'll draw me to Baltimore to kill me. I'm not payment to anyone. I am hers to take out." She turns and looks JJ in the eye. "And she'll want Dec to watch it."

"No. Fucking. Way," JJ states definitively.

Emily smiles and nods. "And that's why I'm damn glad to have this team at my back. I know it won't happen."

Hotch looks at Morgan. "Get aerials and anything you can on the warehouse. We need to know every entry point. We'll be 5-10 minutes behind Emily and there can be no searching for doors or windows to get in. We'll know how we're getting in and getting her and Declan out. Understood?"

"On it, Hotch." He looks at Reid. "Reid, give me a hand. We'll need a geo-profile of the area to make sure we set it up right."

Reid stands and nods. "Let's go."

As the two agents walk out, Emily glances at Hotch. "I need…to breathe a second."

He nods and she walks out. She goes to her desk and sits down, staring at the electronic picture frame scrolling through images of her friends and family. It takes her a second to register that there is a small package on her desk. She starts to reach for it but stops.

"Holy shit." She grabs her phone and calls the conference room. "Hotch, I have a package here. Return address is a front I used as Lauren Reynolds."

"It's from Chloe. Call the mailroom and find out what showed up on the x-ray."

Emily nods and makes the call as JJ, Rossi and Hotch storm out of the conference room to find out what has been sent to their teammate.

* * *

Declan squeezes his eyes closed as the light is turned on the door to his cell is opened. He hears feet walking towards him and hopes it's just his lunch being delivered. But no such luck. He is grabbed and jerked to his feet.

"Open yer eyes, Declan," Chloe orders.

Declan takes a deep breath and forces his eyes open, squinting until they adjust to the brightness. Chloe stares into his eyes.

"Wha' was lesson one?"

Declan swallows, "To…to never raise a hand to you."

"Good boy," she replies with a smile that doesn't reach her eyes. "Now 'tis time ta learn lesson two." She steps back, studying her son a moment. She then looks to the man standing beside Declan. "Go."

The man grins…and punches Declan in the stomach. The boy grunts and drops to his knees, gasping for breath.

"Lesson two…learn ta take a punch. We're in a rough business, Declan. Ye'll need ta toughen up if'n ye want ta survive."

Declan slowly regains his breath. He lifts his eyes, staring at the woman through his hair. "I'm not…in your…business."

"But ye will be." She looks at her man. "Stand him up." The man drags Declan to his feet. "Ready, son."

"I'm NOT your SON!" Declan says fiercely.

Chloe steps to him and grabs him by the front of the shirt. "Ye ARE my boy. And ye'll learn yer place soon enough." She shoves him backwards and looks at her lackey. "Again."

The man goes to punch Declan again. But now Dec is ready for it. He's a good athlete and between football and lacrosse he's learned a few things. He sidesteps the punch and throws a punch himself, catching the man in the mouth. Chloe laughs.

"Good boy! There may be hope fer ye yet, Declan."

"Bloody arsehole!" the man yells and starts towards Declan again.

Declan throws his hands up in front of him in a boxer's stance. Inside he is terrified. The man grins evilly.

"Oh, so now ye think yer a fighter. We'll see."

He fakes a punch and Declan tries to block it. This leaves his face open and the follow up punch hits his chin and mouth. He drops to the ground, his hand covering his now bleeding lip.

"Get up, little bastard. Get up and see if'n ye can hit me again," the man taunts.

"Enough, Carrick," Chloe says and the man steps back from Declan.

Chloe squats down in front of her son. She reaches out a hand and brushes the hair from his forehead. "Remember tha taste of tha blood, Declan. Remember tha pain. And dream of tha day ye make others taste and feel tha same."

Declan wants to scream "no" at her but is scared of what will happen if he does. She grins and stands.

"Get up, boy," she commands.

Declan slowly climbs to his feet.

"Hit me," she says.

Declan frowns. He knows it's a trick. If he doesn't listen, he'll be punished for disobeying. If he hits her he'll have broken the rules. He slowly shakes his head.

"I can't win," he whispers.

She raises an eyebrow. "Yer right. So ye have ta make a choice. Which thing will get ye punished worse: hitting me or no' hitting me?"

Declan stares at her. He thinks a moment before he answers. "My dad taught me never to hit a woman. Even if she deserves it."

The amusement in Chloe's eyes fades, leaving only the anger. She backhands Declan and he stumbles back a few steps.

"That bastard was NOT yer father! Your father was a killer, a warrior, as ye will be."

Declan lets his anger override his fear. "NO! Ian Doyle wanted to possess me! He wasn't a father! Tom Colter is my father! He's my Dad! He loves me and he is NOT dead! You're just a lying BITCH!"

If looks could kill, Declan would be gone. Chloe glances at Carrick. "Two more."

Carrick smiles with psychotic glee. He stomps forward and grabs Declan by the shoulder to steady him as he punches him twice more in the stomach. When he lets go, Declan falls to the ground. Chloe squats down in front of Declan.

"Ye've sealed her fate, Declan." Declan slowly looks up. "Emily fucking Prentiss will die a slow, painful death. She'll beg ta die, she'll beg ta spare ye having ta watch, but yer words just now guaranteed she'll get no mercy from me." She grabs him by the chin. "Lesson 3…ye donnae _ever _raise yer voice ta me. And Lesson 4, ye donnae cuss me."

She let him go and stands. "Let's go," she says to Carrick.

The man spits at Declan then follows her out of the room. Declan crawls over to the bed and up onto it.

"I'm sorry, Emily. So sorry. Please forgive me," he whimpers before finally passing out once more.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: To the Guest J.E.: Thank you for your kind words. You humble me by saying these stories are helping you in some small way with your battle against cancer. I will keep you in my prayers and hope you have a swift, successful battle. **

**Take care, my friend.  
****AR**

* * *

**Friday, November 3, 2011, 11:04 a.m.**

"Just 5 more minutes," Hotch says.

Emily is pacing back and forth in the bullpen as a bomb tech scans the package once more, this time to check for any evidence of explosive residue. He stands and shakes his head.

"Nothing. It's clean."

"So it's just a phone," Rossi confirms.

"Just a phone," the tech replies.

Emily leaps towards the desk and grabs it. She rips it open and yanks the phone out. Her hands shake as she reads the note attached to it.

_"There is one number programmed into this phone. Call it."_

Emily looks at Hotch. He looks at Garcia, who sits nearby. "Ready?"

"Yes, sir. Emily, what's the number of your phone?"

Emily opens the phone information but doesn't see the phone information. "It…it's been erased. I don't know."

"Call me," Garcia says.

"NO! If they've done something to make sure I _only_ call the number they want they'll hurt Declan." She looks at Hotch. "I can't risk that."

Hotch thinks a moment then nods. "Call the preprogrammed number."

Emily nods and opens the contacts. She sneers as she sees the name Lauren Reynolds. She hits the send button with the phone on speaker. It rings twice.

"Angie's Value Barn," a woman answers.

Emily frowns in confusion. "Uh, this is Emily Prentiss. I was told to call this number?"

"Don't know any Emily Prentiss."

"What about Lauren Reynolds?"

"Oh, yeah, I have a message for her."

"What is it?"

"Uh, I thought you were Emily Prentiss?"

Emily pinches the bridge of her nose. "I use Lauren Reynolds when guys hit on me at bars."

Despite the situation, JJ can't help but smile and be proud of her wife. It was cute and quick thinking both.

"Oh, hold on." There is the sound of paper being shuffled. "Yeah, here it is. I was told to tell you Donegal Bay at the rise of the queen. Weird shit. You need to change where you find dates."

"Right. Thanks." Emily hangs up. She starts to pace.

"What does it mean, Emily?" JJ asks.

"I have no fucking clue. Where the hell is Reid?"

"Morgan's office," Rossi answers.

Emily beelines that direction, followed by the others. She bursts into the room. "Reid, what does 'Donegal Bay at the rise of the queen' mean?"

He frowns. "Well, Donegal Bay is on the West Coat of Ireland. It's Ireland's largest bay and has its highest cliffs. It's well known for its surfing. There are 9 towns on the bay."

"Towns! What towns?"

Reid scans the page in his mind. "Ballyshannon, Bundoran, Coolmore, Donegal, Killybegs, Mountcharles, Mu- -"

"Mountcharles!" Emily exclaims.

"What does it mean?" JJ asks.

"Lauren stole a shipment bound for Mountcharles. It came from Baltimore."

"So, Baltimore is the first clue. What's the second part?" Rossi asks.

Emily shrugs and shakes her head.

"Queen Elizabeth ascended the throne in 1952," Morgan points out. "Maybe it's a reference to military time…7:52."

Emily nods. "That's damn good, Morgan. But how the hell do you know when the Queen ascended to the throne?"

The team can't help but chuckle as Morgan just shrugs. "Maybe Reid isn't the only one full of useless knowledge."

"Guess not," Hotch agrees. "So, she wants you in Baltimore at 7:52. Why and where?"

"She has to assume we'll look up Baltimore to find where she'd most likely be. She would also have to know I'm using you all to help me find Declan. Why give us a clue that we can check out well before 7:52?" Emily asks.

"To see what we know," Rossi answers. "She wants us to go check out the Baltimore warehouse."

"Which means she's not there but she's watching us," Hotch agrees. He turns to Garcia. "Get on the computer and get a satellite look at the gas station just outside the main gates."

"What am I looking for?"

"A car. Run back the feed. We need to know if a car has been waiting there all day just waiting for one of us to leave."

"To what end?" Rossi asks.

"She expects me to go rogue. And we've got the perfect set up to play off that," Emily points out. "But she would have to know when I'm on the move."

JJ shakes her head. "But it's like Rossi asked, why give us a time and a place like this? It doesn't make sense."

"Sure it does," Reid interjects. "It's like chess. You sacrifice a pawn to draw in the queen.'

Emily nods, seeing what he means. "She wants you all to go check it out. You'd leave me back here and go check things out in Baltimore. You might even find a few of her men she's willing to sacrifice, maybe even Jacques Scirroco himself."

"And that would leave you back here alone for her to contact with the real meeting place," JJ concludes. Emily nods to her wife.

"Good. Now we know what she wants, let's decide what she gets," Hotch says. He looks at Morgan and Reid. "What do you all have?"

"This warehouse is big but it's not overly remote. Definitely not where they could guarantee Declan wouldn't be seen or heard," Morgan reports. "There are also too many points of entry. Assuming she has a small squad of men, maybe 6 tops, to keep this quiet there is no way they can cover all the entries."

"What about camera's?" Hotch asks.

"They would still have trouble protecting all those points. I just don't see this being the right place."

Hotch thinks a moment. "Then we need to find agents that resemble all of us enough to fool someone at a distance."

Rossi grins. "I like it. We send them to Baltimore and wait here with Prentiss until she gets the real meeting information."

"It's completely crazy which means it might actually work," JJ concedes. "But, just hear me out, what if they see the ones going to Baltimore aren't really us? What will they do to Declan?"

Emily sighs. "I…I don't know, Jen. But I do know we need to consider Hotch's plan. It's a good one. And it's the only way we'll know where she really wants us."

"Wants you, you mean," JJ points out.

Emily locks eyes with her wife. "Yes."

"For the record, no matter what plan we come up with, I hate it," JJ states.

Emily gives a shrug. "Me, too."

Before any more can be said, JJ's phone rings. She looks down at it. "It's the hospital." She answers. "This is Jennifer Prentiss." She listens a moment and nods. "Okay. So, um, what does that mean exactly?" She listens again. "I…I see. Look, whatever he needs just do it. Cost isn't a consideration." She listens, starting to look angry. "I don't give a DAMN what his insurance says, just fucking save his life. We'll pay whatever we need to pay to save his life. So just DO IT!" She hangs up, shaking slightly.

Emily reaches out and takes her hand. "Jen? What is it?"

"Tom is…isn't responding to some of the meds. Probably because of his cancer treatments. They want to try something new to combat an infection he's developed and they're worried about the cost because insurance won't cover it."

Emily pulls her wife into a hug. "You're right: we'll pay whatever we have to. Declan's going to need him when this is over."

JJ just nods. "Declan's going to need you, too, Emily."

Emily kisses her temple. "I know."

Hotch looks at Rossi, JJ and Emily. "Let's start finding our doubles. Morgan, Reid, get a plan together for them. We'll send them out of here at 4. Garcia, get on those cameras."

"Why wait so late?" Garcia asks.

"Because that will get them to the warehouse as the sun starts to go down. The dusk will help hide their identities a little longer and maybe buy us some extra time," Hotch says. "As soon as they leave you can expect to get a call, Prentiss."

Emily nods. "I know. I'll be ready."

"Good. Let's get things in motion."

The team walks out of Morgan's office to start moving the plan forward. They are nearly back to the conference room when Emily's phone alerts to a text message. She opens it to see it is a video file.

"Fuck. Something tells me I'm going to hate this."

She continues into the conference room. Rossi, the last in, shuts the door behind himself as Emily hits play. Emily is right…she hates it.

Chloe had one of her men tape the fight lesson Declan endured. Emily is holding her phone so tightly by the time it finishes Hotch is worried she'll break it. He looks to Rossi and JJ.

"Get started. Emily, we need to talk a moment."

"No, Hotch, we don't. The plan is sound. Let's just put this shit in motion."

"How clear is your head?"

Emily rolls her eyes. "Does it matter? I have to go, Hotch. She will…will take him and if she can't turn him into a killer she'll just murder him. I _won't_ let that happen. And neither will you. Let's just keep things moving forward. Declan needs us. That's all that matters."

Hotch scrutinizes her carefully. She was on edge. Go figure. But he sees the steely resolve in her eyes and the fact that she has accepted their help, asked for it even, tells him she's not about to snap.

"Okay. Let's find our doubles."

* * *

"_Eight. Nine. Ten! Ready or not here I come!" Lauren opens her eyes and looks around the room. She sees the sneakers peeking out from under the curtains and smiles. "Where, oh, where is Declan hiding?" She stands and walks towards the desk. "Is he in the desk drawers?" She opens each one. "No, not there." She hears giggling. "Hmmm…maybe he's hiding under the lamp." She walks over and picks up the floor lamp. "Rats. Not there either." The giggles roll out again. "Hmm…he's got to be here somewhere. Maybe…right…HERE!"_

_She throws back the curtains and Declan squeals happily. Lauren lifts him up and spins him around._

_"Got ya! I win!"_

_She drops down onto the sofa and starts to tickle him. He giggles and squeals until he manages to "get away" from Lauren._

"_My turn!" he says._

_Lauren stands. "Okay. Count to 10 while I hide."_

_Declan buries his face in the sofa pillows and starts to count. Lauren hurries over the floor lamp, removes the shade and sets it on her head. She has just gotten it to balance as Declan reaches 10._

_"Ready or not, here I come!" he calls out. A second later he bursts out laughing and runs right to her. "GOTCHA, LAUREN!" he wraps his arms around her legs._

_Lauren lifts off the lamp shade. "Hey! How did you find me! I was a pretty good lamp!"_

"_A pretty sexy lamp, at least," Ian says from the doorway. Declan runs over and gives him a hug. Ian pats his head. "Go see yer mother now, Declan."_

"_Okay." Declan turns back to Lauren. "Bye, Lauren. We play tomorrow?"_

_"Uh, I have work tomorrow. But next time I'm here we can play. Promise."_

_He waves and hurries out of the room. Ian saunters over to Lauren._

_"Yer good with him."_

_Emily shrugs. "He's a good kid and I was bored. He helped me pass time until your return."_

_Ian grabs her by the waist and pulls her close. "So tell me, want ta play with him or with me?"_

_Lauren brings her hands up and locks her fingers behind his neck. "What do you think?" she asks, her eyes filled with lust._

_Ian grins and steps back, taking her hands to lead her to the bedroom._

* * *

"I felt so good that day," Emily whispers.

Morgan looks up at her. "What?"

Emily jumps, not having realized she spoke aloud. "Um, nothing. Just…nothing. Never mind."

Morgan sets down the pen he is using. "Lost in some memories?"

Emily nods. "Yeah." She smiles. "He loved to play hide and seek. For some reason he never had trouble convincing me to play and I had so much fun finding silly ways to hide just to hear his giggle. God, Derek, it was so…so healing to hear him laugh."

Morgan smiles. "I bet it was." He reaches over and takes her hand. "You'll hear that laugh again, Emily. He's a smart kid. Tough, too. He'll do what he has to do to survive because he knows you'll be rescuing him."

"I hope you're right, Derek."

"Emily, I _am_ right. Your heart knows it even if your head is having trouble believing it."

Emily just nods and goes back to combing through the reports in front of her, trying to find the real location that will host a life and death confrontation.

* * *

**Friday, November 3, 2011, 4:15 p.m.**

Hotch studies his team. All are filled with nervous energy. JJ's left leg bounces as if on a spring, a nervous tic she has. Reid stares at the ceiling, obviously running down everything they know in his head to make sure he hasn't missed anything. Rossi stands in the corner, his arms crossed in front of him. His right thumb rubs his pointer finger, as if the lapsed Catholic still held a rosary in his hand. Morgan paces, his face a mask of determination, steeling himself for the fight he knows is coming. Garcia anxiously taps at her computer, checking the four programs she has running to see if they will give her a better than 90% probability on the real location for the confrontation.

And then there's Emily. She sits staring at the ground between her feet. Where is her mind? What is she thinking about? She is as masked and guarded as he's ever seen her. But he knows this time it's because she is trying to shield herself from the reality of all she stands to lose if their plan goes wrong. She has reached out to them for help and has not tried to shove them away. This Emily Prentiss knows going it alone is asking for death. And this Emily Prentiss wants to live. Emily suddenly stands.

"I need to fix my cargo pants and get changed. The fake team will be in Maryland soon. She may not wait for them to get to Baltimore to call."

Hotch nods to her. "Go ahead."

"Wait!" JJ says. "What do you mean fix your pants?"

"I need a needle and thread, 2 handcuff keys and two razor blades. I'll conceal them in my pants in case I need to free myself from either cuffs or rope or tape or…or anything."

JJ stares into brown eyes that she has never seen before. This isn't Lauren Reynolds she is looking at. She is looking at the Emily Prentiss that became Lauren Reynolds. JJ takes her wife's hand.

"I'll help you."

Emily nods. "Thank you."

The two walk out to retrieve the items Emily needs. Standing at her desk, she carefully cuts the stitches out of the top of the waistline just offset the middle of her back. She slides a key and razor blade into the makeshift pocket. She sews the entrance shut with just four loop stitches. She also puts a couple stitches in the waistband on either side of the tools to keep them from sliding where she doesn't want them. She then lifts up the left leg and does the same thing to the inside cuff. She sets the sewing implement down.

"Done."

JJ had watched her wife in silence. Seeing Emily do these things, plan for these types of contingencies, reminds JJ just how much of Emily's past is shrouded in darkness and deceit. That she could walk away from all of that and become the woman she knows and loves amazes her. But now that woman is being hidden away, locked away in a compartment, so Emily can do what she has to do to save Declan Colter. How hard will it be for Emily to let the darkness go once more?

"Emily," JJ says softly. "When this is over…what can I do to help you come back mentally?" Emily lifts her head and looks into worried blue eyes. "I completely understand that you are turning yourself into who you need to be to get Declan back. But what do I do to get the Emily we know and love back?"

Emily swallows and shrugs. "I…I don't know. I hope…maybe…when it's over this Emily can go away again." Emily gives her wife a smile. "Maybe lots of Henry Hugs and Rocky Kisses will be the best medicine." She lifts her hand and strokes JJ's cheek. "And maybe just being in your arms and hearing you tell me it's over and everyone is okay will do it. I love you, Jennifer. Please don't think that's changed just because I'm…like this right now."

JJ smiles, leaning her cheek into the hand caressing it. "I know, Emily. I love you, too. I'm just scared for you, for Declan, for Tom. I just feel helpless and need to know I can do something useful."

Emily ignores the agents all around them. She leans in and gives her wife a kiss. "Just being you, knowing you love me, knowing you are carrying my children, is useful. You give me a reason to live, Jennifer Prentiss. You, Henry, Rocky, the twins and Declan give me plenty of reasons to want to make it back mentally and physically."

"Good. Never forget that."

"I won't. I promise."

"Go get changed and then we can call Rocky and Henry." JJ gives her a sad smile. "I want you to hear their voices before you go. To give you strength."

"And remind me who I'm coming home to."

JJ just nods. They share one more kiss then Emily grabs her go bag to go change into her infiltration gear. The clock is winding down to her confrontation with Chloe.

* * *

**Friday, November 3, 2011, 4:51 p.m.**

Declan sits up when the door to his cell is opened. Chloe walks right over to him and hands him the phone. He takes it, his hand shaking, sure it is a trick.

"Hit send," Chloe orders him.

"What?"

"Donnae make me repeat myself, boy," she threatens.

Declan swallows and hits the send button. He holds the phone up to his ear. It rings twice before the call connects.

"Prentiss."

"EMILY!" Declan screams.

"DECLAN! Where are you? Are you okay?"

"I'm in a cell and I- -"

His words are cut off when Carrick grabs him from behind and covers his mouth with his hand. Chloe grabs the phone away.

"Declan? DECLAN! Declan, honey, what's going on?" Emily yells frantically.

"Aw, so sweet. Sounds like ye actually care fer tha boy."

Emily stiffens. "Let him go, Chloe. Your fight is with me NOT with him."

"Yer right. Me fight is with you. But I willnae lose me son again. Think yer friends have made it ta Baltimore yet? Think they know it was a red herring?"

"You're…you're not in…Baltimore?" Emily asks, as if nervously surprised.

Chloe ignores the question. "Get in an SUV. Drive south to the mini mall immediately south of tha base. Park behind tha grocery store. My men will be happy ta give ye a ride so we can clear up tha little issue regarding my son."

"If you hurt him again, I'll kill you," Emily threatens.

Chloe laughs. "No, ye won't. Leave yer personal phone behind. Just take the one I sent ta ye."

"My boss took that one to try to get evidence off of it," Emily tells her.

"Ah, of course. Then ye best hope ye've no need ta make a call before ye get ta me men. Ye have 20 minutes."

Chloe hangs up. She drops the phone on the ground and grinds it under her foot. She smiles at Declan.

"I cannae wait ta show ye how much fun torture can be."

She turns and walks out of the room. Carrick throws Declan to the ground and follows her. Once everyone is gone, Declan crawls over and picks up the pieces of the ruined phone. He tries to get it working again but it's no use. He throws it in frustration. He draws his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them. He starts to rock back and forth.

"Please, Emily, please save me. Please," he whispers. "But be careful. Please don't get hurt, Emily. Please don't get hurt for me. I…I need you. Especially if Dad is…if he is…" he wipes away a tear that slips down his cheek. "Please just save me, Emily. Please."


	12. Chapter 12

**Friday, November 3, 2011, 4:54 p.m.**

As soon as the call is disconnected Emily locks eyes with her wife. "I love you."

JJ nods. "Come back soon with our boy."

Emily nods. "I'll do my best."

"Garcia, get that tracker up on all our phones. I also want eyes outside the gate and at that mall. Let me know if someone slips in behind Emily and appears to be following her. Let us know when she's in their vehicle and what it is," Garcia nods and starts typing. Hotch continues his orders as he and Emily walk towards the elevator. "Morgan, get everyone ready to go. We'll wait until Emily gets to the mall to follow."

Morgan nods as the elevator door closes on the two dark-haired agents. He turns to the team. "Get ready."

Reid, Rossi and Jordan Todd, who is not about to let them go short-handed, nod and prepare to follow. Morgan walks over to JJ.

"I swear to you and your kids, I will do everything in my power to bring her back to you."

JJ nods, tears in her eyes but refusing to let them fall. "I know, Derek. Thank you."

* * *

When they get to the lobby, Hotch stares into Emily's eyes. "I know you don't plan to let them deliver you to her." Emily stiffens. "We both know if you do the game is over. Do what you must, Emily, to stay alive."

"Damn it, Hotch. Don't give me orders like that. You need deniability."

"No, I don't. Anything you do is under my orders."

They lock eyes for a second. Finally Emily shakes her head. "We can fight about this later." She lays a hand on his arm. "Thank you for…everything. From day 1 until now. Thank you."

"Stop talking that way."

"Just had to say it…in case. See you…well, wherever the hell they take me."

Hotch nods. "Count on it."

Emily jogs out to the parking lot and gets in an SUV. As she drives out of Quantico she sees the car pull out of the gas station and slip in behind her. Even though she uses lights and sirens to clear the path, the car keeps pace with her.

"That's right, bastards, let Garcia see what you're driving," she mutters, hoping the tracking device in her boot is working.

Just before she reaches the mall, she turns down a side street and kills her lights and sirens. At a more normal speed she pulls into the backside of the mall lot and pulls behind the Safeway. A few minutes later, her tail pulls up, parking behind her SUV so she can't pull out. She opens her door and steps out as the two men inside get out. One holds a gun on her as the other walks up to her.

"I'm sure it goes without saying, try anything stupid and tha boy pays."

Emily glares at the man who had punched Declan. "I think it goes without saying, raise your hand to Declan again and I'll cut it off," she sneers.

Carrick laughs. "Tough words. But empty. Put yer hands out."

Emily does and he slaps a cuff on one, spins her and cuffs her hands behind her. He shoves her towards the non-descript sedan and shoves her in the backseat. Emily sits down and glares at him.

"What, no seatbelt?"

He shrugs. "Wha' do I care if'n ye die in a wreck?"

He slams the door and gets in the front seat. Emily stares at the back of his head. Part of her wants to vow to herself he'll die. But another part tells her she has to stay as by the book as possible to be able to defend what she did for Declan all those years ago. Time will tell which side of her wins.

* * *

**Friday, November 3, 2011, 5:10 p.m.**

"It's a tan Camry, VA license plate HGC-1896," Garcia tells Morgan. "It's headed south."

"Good job, Baby Girl. Take care of JJ for us."

"You got it, Morgan. Bring our princess back to us with the little prince."

"That's the plan." Morgan pockets his phone and taps his fingers nervously on the steering wheel. He slowly turns and looks at Reid. "Remind me again why it's bad for us to leave the badges behind?"

"I could give you a hundred reasons why. Unfortunately, I don't agree with any of them right now. Truth is, we're probably too close to this. Closer than even when Doyle had Emily because now an innocent child is involved. Add in having to sit back while Emily delivers herself to her executioner and Straus should have pulled us from this case."

Morgan nods. "I agree." His phone rings and he puts it on speaker. "Yeah, Hotch?"

"Garcia said she's in the Camry. Let's go. No lights or sirens but state and local police have been notified we'll be speeding to respond to a silent call."

"Got it." Morgan hangs up and follows Hotch out of the lot and out of the gates at Quantico.

They have just turned south when Reid's phone rings. "Yeah, Garcia?"

"Put me on speaker. I've got you and Rossi on the call so we can stay in communication."

"Okay. Where are they?"

"Fredericksburg and still going down Route 1."

"Strange. Why not hit 95?" Rossi questions.

"Too many VDOT cameras," Hotch points out.

"Any idea where they are headed yet, Baby Girl?"

"Jayje is scrolling through info on the suspected associates to see who might have a place in central or southern Virginia."

"Excellent. If we can predict where they are going we can speed up the pursuit," Rossi notes.

"That's our hope, Rossi," Garcia replies.

Ten minutes later JJ runs into Garcia's lair. "Garcia, Lachlan McDermott has a shell company that owns a shipyard on Mobjack Bay. A perfect outlet to the Atlantic."

"A shipyard?" Hotch repeats. "In use?"

"No. Looks like it has been out of service for years. Garcia has it up on screen now and it looks like only 1 building is in decent condition."

"So whatever he can smuggle in and out of the country goes through that building," Rossi states. "But if he has a thing against Doyle why would Chloe trust him regarding Declan?"

"Maybe he doesn't know about Declan," Hotch points out. "Or if he knows, he doesn't know Doyle is Declan's father. God, that makes me ill to say."

"I second that," JJ agrees. "Outside the building there are 2 SUV's and a motorcycle. There are lights on the ground level but not the second floor. We don't have an angle to see down to the water level."

"It's three story?" Hotch confirms.

"Yes. The basement level is open on one side where boats can pull directly into the building."

"Better for repairs or to offload or load cargo," Reid notes.

"Can you see if there's a boat there?" Rossi asks.

JJ shakes her head. "No. It's a big building. I can't even see the docks that would be down there."

Hotch nods. "But that has to be the place. Commander White and his team should be- -"

"WHAT?!" JJ screams. "You called in a tactical team? Hotch, that will get her KILLED!"

"We need the help, Agent Jareau," he says forcefully. "There are only 5 of us to get her and Declan out. It may not be enough. We need the assistance, JJ. And White will let us take the lead. Discussion over."

JJ is shaking. The agent in her knows he's right. The wife and mother wants to throttle him. She takes a deep breath.

"Yes, sir. I need…I…I…"

She turns and walks out of the room, needing a moment to gather herself. In the hallways she runs into Chief Straus. The older woman looks at her, puts a motherly arm around her shoulder and guides her down the hall.

"This way, Jennifer," the woman says kindly.

JJ just nods, letting the woman lead her to the chief's office. Once inside the woman's inner sanctum, Straus guides JJ to the couch.

"I'd offer you a drink but not only can you not partake right now I don't have anything."

JJ slowly looks up at her. "You…you don't?"

"No. Emily Prentiss has a way of interfering in people's lives," she says with a grin. "Between what happened when you all were captured by Phillipe and what she said to David, I was able to…see I needed to take control of my addiction. That started with no sips at work." She sits down beside JJ and places a hand on the blonde's leg. "Prentiss will be protected regarding Declan. She saved that boy and that is all that will matter. I owe her that."

JJ nods, wiping away a tear. "Thank you, Chief."

* * *

**Friday, November 3, 2011, 7:45 p.m.**

Emily can smell the saltwater coming through the vents in the car. "_So, the ocean,"_ she thinks. "_Will they kill me before setting sail or after we're on the water?"_

The phone in Carrick's pocket rings. "Carrick." He listens a moment. "We're almost there. Maybe 5 or 10 minutes away." He listens and chuckles. "Aye, she's here and behaving. Kinda pissed about it, actually. See you soon." He hangs up and puts the phone away.

Emily vaguely recognizes where she is and knows they have to be getting close to where Declan is being held. Night has fallen and the trees lining the side of the road are just what she needs. She carefully shifts and eases the handcuff key out of the waistband of her pants. She coughs to cover the sound of the cuffs unlocking.

"What's yer problem?" Carrick asks, turning to look at her.

Emily takes a couple deep breaths and stares at the ceiling. "Car…sick." She fakes a dry heave. "Oh, shit. Add in the stress and…oh, fuck," she bends over, making it sound like her body is trying to revolt.

"FUCK! Pull over!" Carrick orders his man.

As soon as the car is stopped, Emily sits up. The cuffs are around her hand like a brass knuckle. She punches Carrick in the throat, smiling as she feels the larynx crush from the blow. As he starts to gasp, she punches the driver in the face. Twice. She leans over the seats and pushes the unlock button. She leaps out of the car and drags the driver out, taking his gun off his hip and pushing it into his face.

"Where the fuck are we going?" she demands.

He stares at the gun with the one eye that is not swelling shut. She cocks it and places it against the good eye.

"Don't make me ask again," she says with a calm that tell him that yes, she will fire.

"Old shipyard. Messer Family Boats. Only one building in use."

"Where is Declan?"

The man swallows. "In a- -"

A gunshot rips through the window and hits the guy in the back. Emily lets him fall and dives to the ground. Carrick pulls himself out of the car, still gasping for breath.

"Stupid…bloody…cow," he forces out.

Emily, still on the ground, aims and fires under the car, shattering his ankle. The man crashes to the ground and Emily scrambles up and onto the trunk of the car as Carrick returns fire under the car, just missing her. She rolls off the side and fires twice, hitting Carrick in both shoulders. His arms are now useless and his gun falls harmlessly to the ground. Emily slowly approaches him. He stares at her.

"So…do it already. Kill me."

Emily cocks the gun, seeing the large man hitting a 13 year old boy; making him bleed. She thinks of Henry being proud to call her Batman. She pictures Rocky forgetting her over time. She imagines two babies that never even know her. She eases the hammer down.

"No. I won't become a murderer. I won't turn into you."

"Yer already a murderer…Lauren."

"She might have been. But Emily Prentiss isn't. And never will be."

She sticks both guns into the small of her back. She grabs him by the feet and drags him off the side of the road, stopping beside a tree about two feet in diameter. She goes and gets the driver, who is still clinging to life. She drags him down there. Having found a set of cuffs on this man's belt, she sits the men back to back with the tree between them then cuffs their hands together.

"Help will be here soon. Hopefully you'll both be around to tell them where I'm going."

She hurries up to the road and takes the car. She pulls out the phone that had been in Carrick's pocket and dials a number.

"Morgan," is the answer.

"Messer Family Boats," Emily states. She sees the sign announcing her arrival there.

"Emily? Where the fuck are you?"

"I got free. The bastards that had me are cuffed around a tree about a mile northwest of the boatyard. Are you all still reading my boot?"

"Yes," Morgan tells her. "Look, wait for us and- -"

"No. She called to get an ETA. If I don't get delivered in the next few minutes she could hurt Declan. I need to get where I can protect him."

"Shit. Be careful, Partner."

"I will be. Oh, and those two bastards need medical attention for GSW's."

"Noted. We'll let Garcia call it in."

"Good. See you soon, Morgan."

"Count on it, Prentiss."

Emily hangs up and puts the phone on vibrate in case Chloe calls it to get an ETA. Emily ditches the car at the driveway and makes her way into the shipyard. Time to find her elder son.

* * *

Chloe is pacing and glancing at her watch. "Any minute now. They should be here any minute now," she says in anticipation.

"What are we going ta do with her?"

"We'll take her with us out ta sea. I'll spend tha night showing me son how ta make people beg fer death. And in tha morning we'll chum the waters and toss her ta tha sharks. My boy will see tha' death means power."

The man nods. "Good. When do we move tha boy?"

"Not until Prentiss is here. I want him ta see her kneeling at me feet, begging me ta spare him what I want him ta see."

The man smiles. "Okay."

Just then another man runs up. "I tried ta call Culver. He won't answer."

"Did ye try Carrick?"

"Aye. No answer either."

"Could be a signal issue," the first man suggests.

Chloe slowly shakes her head. "No. It's tha' bitch. I told them no' ta underestimate her. I told them ta cuff her twice over. Fucking bastards probably didn't and now she's taken them out." She thinks a moment. "Get Johnny, Woods and Sean and get up ta tha first floor. She'll enter there ta try to find him. She won't think we have him down here in that old cargo closet." The man nods and starts to hurry away. "And, Tony…donnae think she'll be an easy mark. Just one of her is as bad as a squad of men."

Tony nods and goes off to get the others ready to confront Emily when she arrives. Chloe looks at the man beside her.

"Freddy, go gag Declan. We donnae need him calling out fer help or answering her if she calls ta him."

Freddy nods and goes to the cell. Unknown to him and his boss, dark eyes watch from the shadows, noting where he goes.

_"So, that's where my son is_," Emily thinks. "_Good. Means I need to take the fight somewhere else for the next 15 minutes or so."_

She eases along the wall, studying everything around her. She sees a winch on the wall and follows it's cable up to the ceiling and along it until she sees a motor of some sort suspended in the air about 15 feet from Chloe. Emily grins.

"Let's see how easily you startle, Chloe."

Emily hits the release for the winch and races quietly away from it as it drops its load with speed to the ground. Chloe had looked up when she heard the whine of the cable and leapt about 10 feet to her right as the motor crashed into the ground, sending pieces of it through the air like shrapnel. She pulls her gun and spins, trying to figure out where her nemesis might be. Freddy runs back out to her.

"What tha fuck?"

"She's here," Chloe says calmly. "Tha bloody cow is already here."

She and Freddy get back to back, studying the shadows for movement but see nothing. A clattering near the steps leading upstairs has them both turning in that direction. Too late, Chloe realizes what she's done. She turns back and meets Emily's fist with her face.

"BITCH!" Emily yells.

Freddy spins and gets a roundhouse kick to the head. He drops like a rock. Emily turns and is tackled by Chloe. The woman pistol whips the agent. As she tries to do it again, Emily blocks it and twists the wrist in her hand until the gun is dropped. Chloe throws a punch with her other hand but Emily grabs that hand too and rolls, putting Chloe below her.

"It's over, Chloe Donaghy. I win. Again!"

Chloe struggles to get away. A gunshot rings out and Emily falls forward, the bullet having ripped through her upper right arm. She kicks out once at Chloe's head, stunning the woman and scrambles away into the safety of the darkness around the edges of the building. She grasps the wound, having heard and felt the bullet hit the humerus before exiting. She shivers as her body reacts to the wound.

Out on the dock, Chloe is pulled to her feet by Tony as Freddy starts to come around. She slowly scans the building.

"Ye've nowhere ta run, Emily," she calls out, her voice echoing off the cavernous space. "Give up and ye can die a quick death."

Emily swallows. Help will be here soon, she reminds herself. Just stall.

Chloe looks at Freddy and whispers. "Get tha guys down here. As soon as she's dead we leave."

"We're no' taking her ta sea?"

"No. This ends here and now. When you get down, start around tha outer edge of tha building. We'll keep her ta this side and eventually flush her out. Go."

Freddy nods and hurries off to get the other men back downstairs. Chloe turns back to the shadows.

"Come out now, Lauren, and I won't make Declan watch as I kill ye."

"Bullshit," Emily calls back, knowing the echo will keep them from pinpointing where she is. "You want him to see. You want him to feel alone. It won't happen. Even if you kill me he'll still have his father, Tom Colter."

"His FATHER was Ian fucking DOYLE! But ye knew tha'. Ye knew it and ye stole him away a'fore I could take custody of tha son tha' bastard stole from me!"

Emily hollers "Ian said he killed you after you gave birth because of what you did while pregnant. He was sure you'd kill the baby so he killed you, too. I swear that's what he told me."

"And had ye known tha truth? Would ye have brought him ta me?"

"Depends. Would you have given up crime? Given up murder? Given up the shit I wanted to protect him from?"

Chloe smiles. "Declan was born ta be a warrior. And a warrior he will be."

"Over my dead body."

Chloe laughs. "Tha's tha plan, love."

Emily is still trying to figure out what to do next when movement catches the corner of her eye.

_"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck,_" she thinks.

She had been so busy trying to keep Chloe's attention she forgot about the men she had seen going upstairs earlier. Now they were closing in on her. She tucks her useless right arm into her belt and pulls her remaining gun with her left. She eases out of her hiding place and moves to where she can get some shots off at the men here along the edge of the building.

Sean sees a dark spot on the ground and quickly moves to it. He reaches down and dips a finger in it, smiling when he feels and smells the blood.

"Yer bleeding, bitch," he calls out. "Do ye really think ye can hold us off until yer team gets here from Baltimore?"

He is answered by a voice right beside him. "Who says they're in Baltimore?" Emily whispers as she clubs him upside the head, knocking him out.

He grunts and falls to the ground. The men with him hear and hurry around the boxes and tables blocking him from their sight. Woods shakes his head.

"Fuck. She's good if'n she got tha drop on Sean," he whispers to Freddy and Johnny.

The men nod and move along together, lest one of them get surprised again. Johnny is the first to see the droplets of blood. He points them out and his two companions nod, following them carefully.

Emily hears them coming but she's trapped. She has worked herself into a corner and the only way out would be to climb up. Even if she had two good hands that will still leave her exposed to her enemies. As she is trying to decide what to do she hears a gun cock and a man chuckle. She spins around, staring down the barrels of three guns.

"Don't be stupid, lassie. Tha boss wants tha pleasure of killing ya herself."

Emily reluctantly drops her gun. One of the men grabs her right arm, smiling when the pain nearly takes her to her knees. He drags her back to Chloe, who stands at the end of the dock. Johnny kicks the back of Emily's legs and forces her to her knees in front of the homicidal Irish woman.

"So, I finally get ta meet tha great Lauren Reynolds face ta face. Sad tha' tha meeting won't last long. Maybe if'n ye hadn't gone rogue, maybe if'n ye had waited fer yer team ye might have stood a chance. So sad," she taunts. She looks at Tony. "Get Declan. Time fer him ta see this bitch die. Woods, go upstairs and make sure she doesnae have any friends."


	13. Chapter 13

**Friday, November 3, 2011, 7:59 p.m**

Morgan parks his SUV behind the Camry. By the time he is out, Hotch has parked and two FBI SWAT vehicles are pulling in behind them. As the agents secure their vests they gather around Hotch.

"By now Emily has made contact. Best case scenario is she's creating havoc and still on the loose. Be careful when you fire as she will not have a vest on and friendly fire can kill her." His team studies the faces of the SWAT members, hoping they are listening carefully. "We have no idea where Declan is being held. Nor do we know for sure he hasn't already been taken from this location. Clear all rooms carefully lest he get hurt by accident." He turns to White. "What do you need to add?"

"My men will follow your lead. We've seen pictures of the targets that we know of. Any idea how many more?"

"No," Hotch responds. "My guess is her entire team was 5 or 6 men. Two are out of the way. That leaves about 4 more. Maybe more, maybe less."

White nods. "Understood. If they aren't in an FBI vest, aren't the kid or Prentiss, they are targets," he tells his men. "Take necessary action. Green light for kill shots as these bastards will not be aiming to distract while they run."

Hotch looks around. "Morgan, Reid and I will take half the team and make our way to the outside entrance to the dockside level. The rest of you will go in the ground level doors. Any questions?" No one has any. "Let's go."

* * *

Emily knows she is dead if anything has happened to delay her team.

"_Just 5 more minutes. I just have to stall 5 more minutes,_" Emily thinks to herself as a man kneels in her back.

He yanks both her arms behind her. Both of them hear her upper right arm snap as the bone cracked by a bullet is broken completely. He chuckles.

"Oops," he says with glee in his voice.

Emily bites her lip and refuses to even moan at the pain. She feels another man binding her feet together. The water lapping at the dock she lies upon gives her a good idea how they plan to get rid of her. As the men stand up, the woman that had led Emily to this point steps towards her and squats down.

"So, this is how tha mighty Lauren Reynolds finally dies," she says with a heavy Irish lilt. She gets a fake apologetic look on her face. "Oh, sorry, yer name is Emily Prentiss, no' Lauren Reynolds. Doesnae matter. Ye stole me son. Now…now I steal yer life."

Emily swallows to try to steady her voice. "I…I didn't know you were alive. I swear. Ian said you were dead. He never told me your name. Just that you were dead. I swear."

"Aye, so ye've said. Doesnae matter. Ye didnae try ta find me. Now ye pay fer tha'." She grabs Emily by the hair and stares into her eyes. "Ye'll never know tha happiness in me heart tha day I saw Louise O'Bannon on tha streets of Dublin. Long thought dead I knew if she was alive my son…my Declan was alive. Took me nearly 3 weeks ta break her. Oh, she fought hard ta keep yer secret, Emily. But eventually it all came out. And then I started plannin' how I was gonta come ta America fer me boy."

She turns and nods. Emily's eyes widen as two men push Declan out of the shadows towards them. The youngster's eyes widen and he tries to call out to Emily even with a gag in his mouth. He tries to run to her but the men hold him tightly, laughing at his distress. Emily will kill them both if she gets the chance. Chloe Donaghy turns back to Emily, an evil glint in her eye.

"And now I have him. Tha bastard wha' raised him is dead. And now…now my boy'll watch and see wha' happens ta those wha' steal from me."

"NO!" Emily croaks as forcefully as she can. "Kill me. But, please…don't let him see. Please. Please don't let him see that."

"How will tha boy learn if he doesnae see?"

"I…I took him from Ian so he wouldn't have to see death and destruction. He wanted to make Declan into a so-called warrior like him. I wanted Dec to have a chance at something better. Don't you want something better for him than a death like Ian's? Or a life like yours in the shadows? Why not let him…ungh…live in peace? Live in light? If you love him, really…love him…give him…a chance," Emily pleads as she is fighting to stay conscious. The pain in her arm is nearly unbearable.

Chloe smiles cruelly. "Doyle wasnae tha only one tha' makes warriors." She stands and looks at her men. "Tie tha' old anchor ta her ankles." She looks back down at Emily.

Emily tries to gauge how much time has passed but the pain is clouding her ability to think clearly. Stall, she tells herself. Just keep stalling.

"He said…he killed you. Tied you to…bed until birth. Then…killed you. Said you tried to…kill ya'self," she forces out. "You didn't…want Dec…so Ian…killed you…"

"He lied," she says bitterly. "Livin' without him was a slow death. Ye'll know soon wha' tha's like." She raises an eyebrow. "Bu' only fer as long as ye can hold yer breath."

Emily tries to kick out at the men. How many more minutes? How close are they? Where the hell are they? Just as the anchor is secured she hears the glorious sound of someone kicking in the various doors of the boathouse where she has been led by her nemesis.

* * *

Morgan listens to Hotch countdown to entry. His body is vibrating with tension. He knows there's a damn good chance that if Chloe has Emily the bitch will just kill his best friend when they bust in. But there is no other option. If they do a slow entry, Emily is definitely dead. A hot entry gives them a chance at surprise.

"_God, I know I don't talk to you as often as I should but please, please let us get there in time. Please_," he prays silently.

"Three. Two. One. GO!" Hotch orders.

Doors are busted open and FBI agents stream into the building.

"FBI!" is screamed by multiple voices.

* * *

Chloe stares back and up towards the main building. She knows it's just a matter of moments until the agents make their way to the lower level shipping and receiving dock. She looks back down at Emily. Emily gives her as cruel a smile as she can muster.

"I didn't really…go rogue, you fu…fucking bitch. I win…AGAIN!"

Chloe walks over and kicks Emily in the stomach. "But ye still die."

With Emily still gasping for breath, Chloe kneels and shoves the agent and anchor into the cold salt water. Emily sinks into the darkness with only one thought to comfort her: at least Declan will be saved.

She hopes.


	14. Chapter 14

Jordan and Rossi follow two men to the front door as the others go to a side door. They wait anxiously for Hotch to do the countdown. It seems like forever before they hear him start. The sounds of three doors being battered open sound like explosions as they echo through the large open building. Rossi sees a man running towards a staircase.

"FBI! STOP!"

The man fires over his shoulder towards Rossi. Jordan fires and the man grunts and falls down the stairs. It takes only a few seconds to clear the wide open upstairs. By now they are hearing the gunfight going on downstairs. Leaving the SWAT officers to clear the rooms on that level, they race for the staircase knowing that is where they will find Emily and Declan. As they get to the bottom of the stairs, Rossi's eyes widen.

"HOTCH!"

* * *

As the SWAT officer busts in the door, Morgan follows two others inside the building. They see people near the end of the dock. Morgan's eyes widen as he sees Emily get shoved into the water, an anchor tied to her legs.

"EMILY! NO!" He aims his guns at the two men and woman standing there. "DROP YOUR GUNS! DROP THEM!"

The men raise their guns and start to fire towards the FBI agents. Morgan fires back. He watches as Chloe Donaghy evaluates the situation and slowly turns to point her gun towards the other end of the docks. Suddenly he is shoved to the side as Hotch barrels past him and leaps into the water after Emily.

"HOTCH!"

Morgan sees one of the men turn to fire into the water. Before he can pull the trigger, Morgan fires, killing him with three shots to the chest. The other man fires towards Morgan. A SWAT officer ends that man's life. Morgan starts to shift his gun towards Chloe but he is too late.

* * *

Reid had cut to the right as they came in the doors. He sees the men holding Declan. One lets go of the boy and starts to fire blindly towards the side of the building.

"FBI! DROP IT!" Reid orders.

One man runs towards him and takes a bullet to the chest…from Chloe Donaghy's gun. Reid looks towards her. He realizes she had been aiming for Declan.

"DEC! DOWN!" Reid yells.

Declan throws himself to the ground. His stunned captor takes another bullet from Chloe. Reid spins towards her as he runs to put himself between her gun and Declan.

"DROP IT, CHLOE! IT'S OVER!"

She ignores him and drops her gun to try to get a shot into Declan, who lies on the ground. Reid fires three times. She never gets a third shot off. Reid keeps his gun trained on her until she is confirmed dead by a SWAT officer. Rossi races over and drops down beside Declan. Seeing Declan being taken care of, Reid races to the end of the dock to see if he can help Morgan and Hotch.

Rossi pulls the gag off the boy. "Hold still, Declan. Let me cut these ropes."

"EMILY!" Declan screams.

Rossi pulls out a pocket knife and cuts Declan free. The boy leaps up and races towards the end of the dock.

* * *

Before her descent stops Emily is trying to get to the razor blade she stashed in her waistband. But the water is cold. Very, very cold. And her right arm is not working. Blood clouds the water around her as she struggles to do get the blade out. She finally does but her fingers are so cold. As she tries to turn it to cut at the ropes it slips from her hand.

Panic starts to set in as her body starts to scream for air. Images of JJ, Henry, Rocky and twins not yet born stream into her mind. NO! She has too much to live for to die like this.

She tugs at the ropes binding her hands. She kicks, trying to propel herself and the anchor up off the sea floor. Looking up she sees the lights from the building taunting her, showing her life-giving air is just a few feet above her head. She watches as a line of bubbles leak from her nose and dance towards the surface.

Suddenly the lights are blocked out as a body dives into the water. Hotch quickly swims down to her and starts to struggle with the ropes. Emily grunts and shakes her head. She lets more bubbles go, trying to tell him what she needs.

He gets it.

Hotch grabs her head and brings their lips together. Emily opens her mouth as he blows air into her grateful lungs. He quickly swims to the surface to get another breath of air. He immediately dives down again. When he reaches her, he pulls his spring-load knife and starts to saw at the ropes attaching Emily to the anchor. When it finally cuts through, he grabs Emily by the shirt and kicks and pulls them both upwards.

As they break the surface, Emily takes a deep breath, trying to calm her breathing. Hotch gets an arm around her neck and swims her towards the dock. Hands reach down and grab Emily by the arms.

She screams in pain.

"FUCK!" Morgan yells.

He and Reid regretfully have to ignore the pain from her wounded arm and pull her out anyway. As soon as she hits the docks, Emily starts to sit up. Reid cuts the ropes that bind her hands.

"D- -De- -Dec- -Dec- -" she stutters through bluing lips.

"EMILY!"

Her head whips around. She sees Rossi finish cutting the ropes from Declan's hands and the boy races right to the agent. He throws himself into her arms. With her left arm she holds him as close as she can.

"Oh, Dec," she mumbles.

He just cries on her shoulder. Hotch, dripping wet, places a hand on Emily's shoulder. "Ambulance is on its way in."

Declan looks up at Hotch. "My…my dad?"

Hotch smiles at him. "Stable. He'll be just fine."

Emily lets out a sigh of relief. Declan relaxes and hugs her again. "Thanks, Mom."

"Te- -team eff…ort…," she stutters.

Reid walks up with an old blanket he has found. It's dirty and smelly but Emily gratefully accepts it since shivering is making her arm hurt even more. Hotch glances at Reid.

"Oh, sure, get a blanket for her but not your boss."

Everyone, including Emily, can't help but chuckle, glad for the moment of levity. Morgan pulls off his windbreaker and hands it to Hotch as Jordan hands Hotch the one he'd discarded before diving into the water. Emily slowly turns her head and sees the tarp being pulled over Chloe's body.

"Wh- -what…hap…'ed?" she tries to ask.

Morgan pats her leg. "Tell you tomorrow, Emily. Just know Declan is safe. So are you. That's all that really matters."

"C- -call…J- -Jen."

Rossi smiles. "Already done. She and Garcia are on their way to meet you at the hospital. You'll be airlifted to Fairfax Inova since that's where Tom is. Then you can both be debriefed and taken care of together."

Emily just nods, too cold and too tired to argue. Declan looks at Rossi.

"Can I go with her?"

Morgan nods. "We'll make it happen, Dec. Promise."

Declan just nods his thanks. He nervously moves away from Emily when the EMT's arrive to get her ready for transport. Morgan wraps an arm around the teen, making sure Dec feels both protected and not alone.

When the helicopter arrives, it takes some convincing for them to allow Declan to fly with them. When Hotch points out the boy had taken several blows to the stomach and should be checked for internal bleeding the EMT grins.

"Officially I say good call, sir. Personally I say bullshit but it will fly with the brass."

Hotch grins. "Thank you."

Rossi, Reid, Hotch, Morgan and Jordan stand together and watch as the helicopter takes flight. Once it disappears in the distance, Hotch looks at Jordan.

"Ride with me. We need to discuss how we're going to explain this."

Jordan shrugs. "Way I see it, international terrorists kidnapped the child of a State Department employee who is friends with Emily Prentiss. This group bore a grudge from her days with Interpol and since she lived in a gated community they struck out at her through a friend. We worked with her to come up with a plan to neutralize them. That gives us 8 terrorists off the world stage."

"But the two surviving members of her group may let the truth about Declan slip out."

Jordan grins. "They'd have to prove Chloe wasn't lying. How the hell do they do that?"

"DNA test?" Reid suggests.

Jordan thinks a minute. "When Emily was Lauren, a DNA test would have never shown she was a Prentiss. A DNA test can prove Declan was never Doyle's or Donaghy's."

"You'd do that for Emily?" Rossi asks.

"For Emily and that boy. Declan deserves a real life, a real parent. Tom Colter is giving him those things and I see no need to change that."

"Emily's going to be pissed that you got drawn into her deception. She may balk at this idea," Morgan points out.

Hotch shrugs. "By the time she's out of surgery it will be done. She can be angry all she wants. We'll just remind her that this is to protect Declan."

Rossi manages a smile. "And if you can get Emily Prentiss to see reason make sure you tell the rest of us what the trick is."

The team laughs and splits up to make the drive back to Northern Virginia. Hotch changes into a sweat suit, glad to finally get his cold, wet clothes off. Jordan insists on driving since he is still shivering. He lets her, the heat of the vehicle lulling him into a better sleep than he's had since they got the call from Tom. He can hardly believe it's been less than 48 hours. He feels like he's been going for days.

"_Just 5 minutes_," he tells himself. "_I'll just doze for 5 minutes."_


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: reposted chapter because some of the formating didn't work and made Emily's drug induced walk down memory lane run together kind of weird. :o)**

* * *

**Friday, November 3, 2011, 10:17 p.m.**

JJ paces back and forth in the surgical waiting room. Garcia had tried to get her to sit down multiple times but to no avail. She needed to see Emily and Declan before she could relax. She glances at the clock.

"Fuck. Just 5 minutes have passed since I last asked for information," she mumbles. "Longest fucking 5 minutes ever."

"Jayje, the nurse said they'd be here soon. Just…hold onto that. Okay? And if there was bad news you'd know. They'd be all tense and running and hurrying and stuff. They are calmly awaiting the word to meet the chopper. It's all good."

JJ nods. After a second she grins. "Chopper? What is this MASH?"

Garcia grins. "Made you smile. I win."

JJ chuckles. "Yeah, I guess you do." She sighs. "I know Rossi said they are okay. Just…just need to see it myself."

"I know, Jayje. I know."

Just then a nurse walks up to them. "Agent Jareau? Medflight is landing now. According to the pilot both patients are still fine. One keeps saying they are fine and all this hoopla is unnecessary."

JJ laughs. "Yeah, Em must be okay. And the flight crew must be saints to put up with her."

"That bad?"

JJ nods. "Oh, yeah. And worse."

The nurse laughs. "Good to know. I can't wait to take care of her."

JJ smiles and the woman walks off to prepare for Emily and Declan's arrival. It is almost 5 minutes later when JJ hears her name.

"JENNIFER!"

JJ spins and sees Declan running towards her. She opens her arms and he nearly tackles her as he wraps her up in a hug. She closes her eyes, thanking God he is okay. She rubs his back and cradles his head.

"I am so glad you're okay, Declan."

"Emily and the guys saved me, Jennifer."

"I know." She leans back and looks at his face. Her thumb gently caresses down beside the swollen, split lip. "Oh, Dec…do you need anything? Any treatment?"

"I think they want to check out my stomach where that fucker hit me." He suddenly blushes. "Umm…uh…sorry about the cussing."

JJ grins. "I think this time it's an appropriate description versus just cussing to cuss."

He grins. They both turn and look at the elevator as it opens and a gurney holding Emily is wheeled out. JJ pats Dec on the shoulder

"Wait here, Dec." She hurries over to the bed. Emily sees her and tries to sit up. "Don't, Em! Just sit back and relax. Everything is okay."

"The babies?"

JJ grins. "They are fine. I promise." She jogs beside the bed and strokes a hand over her wife's head. "I love you, Emily."

"I love you, too."

JJ looks at the EMT. "Status?"

"Most of her stats are a bit elevated but that's to be expected. We've gotten her temperature back up to normal. Bullet wound and broken humerus are her worst injuries. But she'll be fine."

JJ smiles at him. "Thank you." As they get to the point JJ can't follow, she quickly leans over and kisses her wife. "I love you so much. See you soon, baby."

"Love you, too, Jen. Take care of Dec."

"I will. Promise."

JJ stops as Emily disappears behind the doors to the surgical theatres. She takes a steadying breath. Emily is fine. Declan is fine. Tom will be fine. She turns and walks back to Declan and Garcia.

"Come on, Dec, let's go get your wounds seen to and documented. We stopped by your house and picked you up some clothes. You're probably ready to get out of these."

Declan nods. "Yeah. Can I see my dad?"

"Of course. Let's get you seen to first so you can tell him yourself that you're okay."

"Is he…really alright?"

JJ nods. "Yes, Declan. He's out of the woods and looking good."

Declan sighs in relief. "Good." He thinks a minute. "Jennifer…was she really…my mother?"

JJ sighs. "I have no idea, Declan. We may never know."

Declan just nods. "Okay." He thinks a minute. "I don't think she was. She didn't care about me the way you and Emily do. I can't believe someone would give birth to a child and just…be the way she was. She wanted to teach me how to kill and stuff. That's not a mother."

"No, it's not. Let's not even worry about it, okay? Let's just get you taken care of and go see your dad. We'll deal with the other when we have to, okay?"

Declan nods, worried Emily is going to get in trouble because of her actions to save him all those years ago. He almost says something about it to JJ but then decides she doesn't need the added stress of thinking about that. It wouldn't be good for the babies.

* * *

Declan slowly walks into his father's hospital room. He pauses as he looks at all the monitors and tubes running everywhere. JJ places a hand on his shoulder.

"I know he looks bad, probably worse than he was in Germany. But he's getting better, Declan. And I know just hearing your voice will do more for him than any of those machines."

Declan nods and slowly walks up to his father's side. He gently lifts Tom's hand.

"Dad?" He whispers.

Tom's eyes slowly start to flutter open. "Dec…"

Declan smiles and leans closer. "I'm here, Dad. Emily and the guys saved me. I'm here and okay, Dad. Please tell me you're okay, too."

Tom's eyes finally open all the way. He smiles as he focuses on his son's face. "Son…love you."

Declan starts to cry and leans over to hug his dad as best he can. Tom brings his free hand up and pats Dec's blonde curls.

"I'm 'kay, Dec. So glad…you're…okay. Love you."

"I love you, too, Dad. I'm so sorry. So sorry. I didn't want her to hurt you, Dad. I'm so- -"

"Shhh. Not yer fault. Thank God you're okay. I don't know what I'd done if…oh, Declan."

"Yeah…same here, Dad," Declan agrees.

JJ smiles at them before quietly slipping out of the room. She goes back to the surgical waiting room to see if there has been any word on her wife.

* * *

After way too many evaluations and consultations, it is determined Emily will need surgery to repair her busted arm in addition to the bullet wound. Since she has been given some rather nice narcotics she just smiles and says.

"Okay."

The nurse chuckles. "And your wife said you'd be difficult."

In the operating room, the anesthesiologist tells Emily to count back from 100. She makes it to 98 before she is out.

* * *

"_So, who exactly was his mother?" Lauren asks Ian as they watch Declan playing on his swing._

_"Doesnae matter. She's dead."_

_"But shouldn't he know his past? His…his heritage?" Emily pushes._

_Ian turns and grabs Lauren's arm tightly. His eyes are full of malice. "I told ye she's dead. Donnae push me, Lauren. I may have ta question yer motives regarding my son if ye keep pushing."_

_Lauren swallows in fear. "I…I'm sorry. I just…I grew up an orphan. Sometimes I wonder what my parents were like. I just didn't want him to feel the same way."_

_"He won't. She's dead and that's all he'll ever know. She's nothing ta him. Now drop it."_

_Lauren just nods, knowing she'll never get the answers she needs from Ian._

**cmcmcmcm**

"_Sean, if it turns out Ian has a kid, what would happen to it?"_

_Sean sighs. He has a feeling he knows why this conversation is happening. He can't believe she let herself get pregnant._

_"If the mother is out of the picture, Clyde and his bosses would use the child as a weapon against Doyle. The kid would become a ward of the state and never know anything other than a man that calls for him from a cell; a man tortured for reasons the kid will never understand." He pauses and looks around to confirm they are still alone in the alley. "Lauren…Emily…I know you're Catholic. But get rid of it. If you deliver that child Easter will take it from you to use against Doyle. That child doesn't deserve it."_

_Emily bites her lip. She slowly nods. "Fine. I'll take care of it. And I swear, Sean, if you tell Clyde about this I'll track you down and kill you."_

_Sean gives her a grin. "Trust me, Emily, I don't want him to do that to a child. Your secret is safe with me."_

_"Thank you."_

**cmcmcmcm**

_Emily paces back and forth. Just two days before Lauren Reynolds had been killed in a car accident. She had been ordered to get out of the country and lay low. She had done the first. The second will come in time. She glances up at the building in front of her. The light in the bedroom has just turned off. She glances at her watch._

"Just 5 more minutes, Emily. Just give her 5 minutes," she tells herself.

_When the time is up, she makes her way to the fence of the U.S. Embassy in Madrid. She stands near the back gate for just a minute before it opens._

_"Emily?"_

_"Hello, Mother."_

_Elizabeth Prentiss studies her daughter. "Oh, my God…Emily…"The last time they had seen each other, Emily had been strong, self-assured. This woman in front of her was a stranger. Her face drawn, haggard. Her eyes looked as dead as a doorstop. Elizabeth fears for her daughter's health._

_Emily ignores her mother's emotions. "I need your help, Mother. There's a little boy whose life will be an unending Hell if I don't get him to safety."_

"_I…I don't understand." Elizabeth had expected Emily to want help for herself. But a child?_

_"I'll explain more later. Right now I have very little time. Here's what I need: a trust set up for Tom Colter that looks like it came from a long lost relative. Some sort of inheritance or something. I don't care what you have to do to hide it, it can never, ever look like the funds came from me. Do you have someone that can make that happen?"_

_Elizabeth nods. "Yes, I know someone who can do that. Emily…is the child yours?"_

_"No. But he saved my life. I also need Tom to get a promotion and then transferred to the State Department in D.C. Can you do that?"_

"_I…yes, I can make a call and get that in the works."_

_"Good. He likes to travel so he can do liaison stuff like you wanted me to." She glances at her watch. "I have to go, Mother."_

_"No! Honey, you look exhausted. Come in and get some sleep."_

_"I can't. I have to get to Barcelona for an early flight. Mother…no one can know I came here tonight. Cly- -my boss already thinks I'm withholding something. He can't know I am or that little boy will pay. Please…for the child."_

_Elizabeth slowly nods. "For the child. But, Emily, you're **my** child. Be safe, honey. I…I love you."_

_Emily nods. "Yeah, me, too. Gotta go."_

_The entire time they'd talked Emily had looked around as if expecting attack at any moment. As soon as she said "go" she was moving away. Elizabeth watches until she disappears around the corner. Maybe some day she would know what this whole clandestine meeting was about. Then again, maybe it's best she never knows._

**cmcmcmcm**

"_Are you nuts? I haven't seen you in, what, 10 years? And now you're asking me to take in some kid?" Tom shakes his head. "You're fucking nuts, Emily."_

_Emily grabs his arm. "Tom, please! Just…hear me out. His name is Declan. He'll even come with his own nanny, a woman named Louise. I can't change their first names because he is too young to understand. Tom, Declan deserves a life with a father who will love him. I know that can be you."_

_Tom runs a hand through his hair. He has never seen his friend look so desperate. Her formerly vibrant eyes had been lifeless until she had begged for him to take the child. Then they had been terrified. "And how the hell do I explain him to my co-workers? How do I explain a nanny?"_

_"He's your adopted son. That's all they need to know. The nanny will be paid for by your inheritance."_

_"INHERITANCE?! What inheritance?"_

_"You'll need money to keep him safe. Just…a lawyer will come and explain it all to you. You're also getting transferred to D.C. to work for the State Department. International protocol services."_

_"What the fuck is that?"_

_"Trust me. You'll love it. It's the job you once told me you wanted you just didn't know it existed. Your new co-workers won't think twice about you having a kid or an inheritance."_

"_But what's the job? Something you made up?"_

_"No, it exists. You'll be a liaison with embassies around the world." She forces a smile to her face. "You may even have to deal with my mother. You'll get to travel, serve the country, and then come home to your nice house in Reston."_

_"Reston? Fuck…you can't let me say no, right?"_

_"Tom, if you say no, Declan will suffer. Please…please help me save him."_

_Tom stares at the ceiling a moment. "Shit. Yeah, okay. This is completely fucked but yeah I'll do it. You'll be around to help me with him, right?"_

_Emily shakes her head. "You don't know how much I wish I could be. He saved my soul, Tom. I love that little kid like…like I never thought I could love anyone. He's the only reason I'm not dead. Maybe someday I can come back into his life but for now…for now I have to get him started on his journey to you and then walk away."_

_"For…for how long?"_

_Emily shrugs. "Maybe forever. If certain factions see me with the child they will realize what happened; realize who he is. To keep him safe I have to cut ties with him…and you for the foreseeable future."_

_Tom studies her a moment. "I don't think I've ever seen someone do something so selfless, Emily. If this kid really did for you what you say, I hope some day you can be back in his life."_

_Emily nods. "Me, too. I'll miss you, Tom. Thank you for doing this."_

"_Thank you for trusting me with this, Emily. If I ever need you, how do I reach you?"_

"_I'll be back with the FBI in a few months. You can reach me through them. I'll also try to slip you my cell phone number when I can to be used only in an emergency or if you hear Ian Doyle is dead."_

_Tom nods. "Okay. Emily…be safe."_

_"I'll try to be. I have to go. I love you, Tom."_

_"Love you, too, Em."_

_Emily had hurried away from her friend. Their meeting in Central Park had left her feeling open and vulnerable even though she had found a secluded spot for it. Now she had to hurry to Boston. Louise and Declan would be waiting for her to put the final parts of the plan in motion._

* * *

**Saturday, November 4, 2011, 2:30 a.m.**

"Come on, Em, wake up, baby," JJ coaxes.

Emily's eyes start to flutter. The nurse smiles at JJ. "She's almost with us. Keep talking to her."

"Emily, the babies and I need you to wake up. Henry and Rocky are eagerly waiting for morning so they can come visit you." She glances over at the next bed. "And your roommate wants to thank you personally for saving his son."

Tom smiles at her as he strokes a hand through Declan's hair. The boy sleeps on the bed beside his father. Neither wanted to be too far apart tonight.

JJ looks back down at her wife. She sees brown eyes through the slits of Emily's eyelids. "Almost there, baby. Just open them a bit more."

Finally Emily's eyes open all the way. She slowly smiles.

"I must be…in heaven because…there is an angel…looking down…at me."

JJ just laughs. "Charmer."

"Always."

The nurse shakes her head. "She always that cheesy?"

JJ leans over and gives her wife a kiss. "Yes, she is. It's one of the many reasons I love her so much."

"Good. Then let me get out of here and say she's just fine," the nurse says and leaves to update Emily's charts.

Emily squeezes her wife's hand. "Tom? Dec?"

JJ nods towards the other bed. "See for yourself."

Emily's head rolls to the side. "Hi. Feeling…better?"

Tom smiles. He looks down at Declan then back up at her. "Never better, Emily."

Emily nods. "Good. Tom…I'm sorry."

"Don't be. He's been worth every bit of heartache he's caused from his first scraped knee until now. Thank you for saving us both. Twice."

She smiles. "My pleasure. Let's just not go for three, okay?'

Tom chuckles. "Deal."

Emily turns her attention now to herself. She studies the contraption that has her right arm secured to her body. She sighs.

"That doesn't look good."

"Nope, it's not," JJ agrees. "They used a metal plate to put the pieces of your humerus back together. You'll be in that get up for 4-6 weeks."

Emily groans. "Shit, are you serious?"

"Emily, you were shot in the arm. It broke the bone badly."

Emily sighs and looks away. "Actually, the shot didn't break it. It didn't break until that bastard yanked my arms behind me to tie me up." Her eyes well up. "I just kept thinking I needed to stall for 5 more minutes. I knew if I could stall the team would get us both out."

JJ strokes a hand over her head. "And they did. You and Declan are both okay because you stalled long enough. Damn good job, Agent Prentiss."

"Thanks." Emily thinks a minute. "I won't be an agent much longer, will I?"

JJ shrugs. "I don't know. Straus was doing a lot to run interference but who knows what will happen as everything gets out. Two of Chloe's men lived."

Emily sighs. "The ones I didn't kill?"

"Yes. Emily, you did the right thing not killing them. No matter what comes out of this whole thing you didn't lose your humanity. Badge or no badge, you're still Emily Prentiss. And you still did the right thing even when it was in your interest to do the wrong thing. That counts for something, Emily. Don't ever forget that."

"As long as I have you to remind me I won't."

JJ smiles. "Then you'll never forget because you're stuck with me and our 4 children to remind you just how special you are."

Emily yawns. "Good. I think I'm sleepy again."

"Good, baby. Sleep now. We can deal with the other crap in the morning."

Emily scoots to her right. "Lay with me?"

JJ starts to protest but knows she'd just lose. She crawls into bed and cuddles up to Emily's left shoulder.

"I love you, Emily."

"Love you, too, Jen. You and…" she yawns, "…our nesters."

JJ smiles as her wife slips quickly off to sleep.

* * *

**Saturday, November 4, 2011, 3:37 a.m.**

A man dressed in surgical scrubs steps into the room holding the two prisoners. The officer standing in the room checks the man's hospital I.D. and lets him approach the patients.

The nurse lifts the charts of one man and makes a few notes on it. He manually checks the man's pulse. He pulls out an ear thermometer and slips it into the unconscious mans ear…punching a small button on it as he does. When the thermometer beeps, he checks the readout, makes a note and pockets the device.

He moves to the next bed and repeats the process. The police officer has no idea two different thermometers have been used and that they weren't exactly what they seemed to be. The nurse nods to the officer and leaves the room. He walks down the hall and goes down a back stairwell and out of the building.

He withdraws a backpack that had been concealed behind a trashcan. He takes off his scrubs and pulls on a sweater and jeans. He pulls off his fake mustache and goatee. He pulls out the contacts that made his brown eyes a brilliant blue. He carefully places the two "thermometers" into a hard case with a sticker on it that says "Must be incinerated". He glances around and confirms no one could have seen him.

Harlan Wayans slides the case into the backpack and calmly walks the two blocks to his car. Emily would never know it but Harlan knows he has repaid her for ever getting her involved in the dark and dangerous world of Ian Doyle.

Two hours later the two prisoners develop a virulent strain of botulism, slip into a coma, and die. No one had lived to tell the world about Chloe Donaghy's relationship to Declan Colter.


	16. Chapter 16

**Saturday, November 4, 2011, 8:09 a.m.**

Emily's eyes slowly start to open. She smiles as she feels her wife cuddled up to her. She starts to lift her right arm to stroke the golden locks on her shoulder…and pain rips through her.

"Fuck," she hisses as the reality of what had happened comes rolling back to her on a river of pain.

JJ immediately sits up. "Emily? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Emily swallows twice before she can speak. "Forgot where…we were. Tried to stroke your hair. Not good."

JJ quickly sits up and hops off the bed. "Do you need some more pain medicine?"

Emily shakes her head. "Not yet. Just…give me a second."

"Of course, honey. Want some water?" Emily nods so JJ grabs the pitcher beside the bed and pours her a cup. After Emily gets a good drink, JJ sets the cup back down. "So, you ready to see the team?"

Emily smiles. "They here?"

JJ laughs. "You have met them, right? Do you really think they'd go home before they knew for sure you are okay?"

Emily chuckles. "Right. What was I thinking? Yeah, bring them in."

JJ steps out of the room. Emily looks over to the other bed and smiles as she sees Declan still curled up beside his father. Emily sighs. What the hell will she do if they get ripped apart? There had to be a way to keep that from happening. There had to be. She turns away when she hears the door open.

"EMSTER!"

Emily grins. "Hey, PG."

Garcia hurries over and gives Emily a much gentler hug than one would think the excited analyst could. As Garcia stands up, Morgan leans over and kisses her forehead.

"Glad you're okay, Princess."

"Me, too," she admits with a grin. "Thanks for…for everything."

"Anytime."

Reid steps up next. He grins at her. "Bullet wounds suck, don't they?"

Emily laughs. "Oh, yeah. Thanks for all your hard work, Reid. And for…the talk the other night."

He nods, blushing. "No problem."

He steps away and Hotch steps up. Emily grins at him.

"Aaron Hotchner, I think you gave me the best kiss I've ever gotten from a man."

Hotch bursts out laughing as everyone else just looks shocked. He takes her good hand and gives it a squeeze.

"Glad to know I haven't lost my touch."

"Thank you isn't enough," Emily states.

"It's enough for me."

He steps to the side so the final person in the room could say hello to Emily. Jordan smiles down at Emily.

"You know, you may want to rethink these winter swims with weights. It may not be as good for your health as you think."

Emily laughs and nods. "Right. I'll have to stick to riding my motorcycle to get the same sort of thrill."

"Not for a while, woman," JJ reminds her.

Emily nods. After a moment her grin fades. "So, uh, do I give you my badge now or later?" she asks her chief.

Hotch frowns in confusion. "Why would you give me your badge?"

"Hotch, there's no way to hide all this; no way it won't get out especially since I left two witnesses alive."

Hotch nods. "Let's start there. Those two died early this morning. Preliminary guess is botulism but an autopsy is pending."

"Botulism?" Emily says skeptically.

Hotch nods, also not believing the luck of that sudden, fatal illness. "Yes. So, everyone, including Donaghy, died on that dock."

Jordan takes over. "So it will officially go down as an attack on a State Department employee. His child was taken to try to influence his work with certain countries. He was injured in the attack, which they hadn't expected, but they held onto the son so that if he recovered he could still be manipulated for their goals."

Emily shakes her head. "NO! No, we can't keep…you can't…fuck." She rubs her temple, feeling a headache coming on. "This was my crime. I was the one that kidnapped Declan. You all know more about it than you should and, damn it, you don't need to get sucked even farther into it. An official report about this needs to tell the truth and let the chips fall where they may. If I lose my badge, so be it. If I go to jail, so be it."

"NO!" Declan yells.

Everyone turns. No one had realized he had awakened. Declan hops off his dad's bed and moves to Emily's side.

"I'm not a kid anymore, Emily. I get that if the truth comes out I could get taken away from Dad. And Dad could get in trouble, too."

"Declan, I can protect you both. I can make sure you stay together," she tells him.

"No, you can't. The only way to keep me from being sent away is to listen to Agent Hotchner and Agent Todd." He takes her hand. "And I don't want you to go to jail, Mom. Not for protecting me. When that woman had me I knew you would find me. And I knew you would get me out of there with the help of your team. I need you, Mom. Don't let her be the reason I lose you. Please."

Emily stares into blue eyes filled with love and fear. She squeezes his hand. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes," he answers.

Emily looks beyond him, making eye contact with each member of her team. "And all of you are okay with being part of this new cover-up?" Each person nods their head. Emily finally ends up at Hotch. "You've already filed this, haven't you? With everyone already signed off on it?"

Hotch grins. "Well, we had to do something while you were lying around in here doing nothing."

Emily slowly shakes her head. "You are all a treasure to me. Thank you."

Morgan smiles at her. "You can buy us all something pretty."

Emily laughs. "Count on it." She looks down at her arm. "Goodness knows I'll have plenty of free time to shop the next few weeks." She looks at Declan. "Are you really okay? Got everything checked out?"

He nods. "I'm fine. Couple bruises but mostly okay. I'll have a heck of a report for what I did on my career day."

Emily grins. "Yep, you will. To say the least." She raises a hand to his cheek. "Declan, if you need to talk to anyone about this there's no shame in that. Goodness knows I'll be talking this over with my shrink the next 5 or 6 visits."

"Well, we always hate to bore her," JJ says, placing her hands on Declan's shoulders. "Thanks for giving us a new way to scare her, Dec."

He grins. "Gee. No problem."

"Don't you people know this is a hospital? Can't a guy get some rest?" Tom teases from the next bed.

JJ laughs and walks over to him. "Sorry but BAU means party, Tom. You should have requested a private room."

He nods. "I'll keep that in mind for next time."

"Um, Dad? Let's not have a next time. I don't want to be gray by the time I'm 20."

Everyone laughs, knowing Declan is only halfway kidding. The group continues to chat until the doctors come in to evaluate the patients. Emily and Tom insist everyone go home. Emily even convinces JJ to go home to see the kids and take Declan with her so he can shower and clean up properly. Once everyone is gone, Emily looks over at Tom.

"Tom, I'm sorry about this. I brought this down on you and it nearly killed you. Sorry really isn't enough."

Tom smiles at her. "Emily, when you approached me about Dec I thought you'd lost your mind. But you were so…scared I knew I had to say yes. I knew I had to give this kid a home to save your soul. Little did I know it would save mine. I couldn't love him more if he was mine by blood, Emily. Don't ever be sorry for bringing him into my life. He _gave_ me a life, Em."

"I'm glad, Tom. Thanks for taking a chance on us."

* * *

**Saturday, November 4, 2011, 12:30 p.m.**

"We there yet?" Henry asks impatiently.

"Just 5 more minutes, Henry," JJ says as she drives back to the hospital.

Declan looks at her. "Does he know how long that is?"

"Nope. So it varies anywhere from 1 minute to half an hour depending on what I need."

Declan laughs. "Cool."

JJ glances at him and pats his leg. "You seem okay. Are you really?"

Declan shrugs. "Will have I have a few nightmares? Probably. But I'm okay. Emily's okay. Dad's okay. That's all I care about right now."

"Good. Anything you and your Dad need we'll make sure you have. We love you both, Dec. And I am so glad you're okay."

"Thanks, Mom," he says quietly. He thinks for a second. "You know…a motorcycle would make me feel better faster I bet."

JJ starts to laugh. "Nice try."

He shrugs, grinning. "Had to give it a shot."

"So next year you'll be a freshman. Have you decided where you want to go to school?"

"Not yet. Part of me wants to stay where I am but I also kind of want to go to public school. With Dad's job I know private makes him feel safer for me. And I get that." He shrugs. "I just don't know."

"When do you have to commit to your current school?"

"By Christmas break."

"So, you've got some time. If I can throw my 2 cents in, I really like the school you are in. The academics are great and all the young men we've met are smart, well-spoken and just really great guys. I know public school has the allure of no uniforms and girls," Declan blushes, not realizing JJ would have thought of that, "but there's a lot to be said for not having to figure out what to wear in the morning and not having to worry about impressing someone everyday."

Declan sighs. "We had our fall dance a couple of weeks ago with our sister school. I met this girl, Samantha, and for the first time in my life I…I kind of…you know…"

"You saw a girl as something more than just a person?"

"Yeah. She's really cute and smart, she even likes John Donne like I do. We also like the same music. And she's really cute."

JJ grins, having noticed "cute" came up twice. "Have you talked to her since?"

"A couple times on the phone. We were supposed to go to the movies this weekend but…well…"

JJ glances at him and takes her phone off her hip, handing it to him. "Give her a call. Tell her your Dad is in the hospital. You don't have to tell her everything but at least let her know you have to cancel and that you wish you didn't have to. Make new plans for next weekend."

He grins and takes the phone. "Thanks, Jennifer. Ummm…is it okay if I wait until I can talk to her in private?" he asks blushing.

JJ grins. "Of course."

"Cool. Thanks, Mom."

"MOMMY! We there YET?!" Henry asks from the backseat.

JJ rolls her eyes. She and Declan answer together, "Just 5 more minutes."

The two blondes in front laugh as Henry just pouts. Rocky just keeps singing a song to herself as she watches the world roll by outside the window.

* * *

"Doctor, I think I could fall in love with you," Emily states.

The man chuckles. "You must really hate hospitals to give up your young, beautiful wife for an old fogey like me," the 60+ year old doctor states.

JJ rolls her eyes. "No offense, Doc, but she just hates hospitals that much."

The doctor laughs. "I see. Well, as soon as the surgeon comes in to double check your arm I see no reason you can't go home. If they see something they don't like, they may override my orders. We just want you to get well as soon as possible, Agent Prentiss."

Emily nods. "Thanks, Doctor." After he leaves, Emily starts to study her upper arm. "Looks good from here. What do you think, Jen?"

JJ looks at the arm. It is covered by bandages. "I have no idea. Unlike you I don't have x-ray vision."

Emily grins. "Uh, right." She looks at Henry, who sits on the edge of the bed. "What do you think, Champ?"

He shakes his head and sighs. "Bad, Mama. Bad."

Emily grins. "I think I want a third opinion." She looks at Rocky, who sits snuggled up to her left side. "What do you think, Rock?"

She lifts a hand. "Cookie?"

Emily laughs and kisses her head. "I'll take that as a 'no comment'."

Declan walks in a few minutes later and hands JJ her phone. "Thanks. We're going to the movies next weekend with a group of friends."

"Good."

"Who are you going to the movies with?" Emily asks.

Declan shrugs, blushing. "Just this girl from our sister school."

Emily raises an eyebrow. "Ah, okay. Good." She exchanges a smile with Jen, then looks to Tom. "So, how's it feel to have a kid dating?"

Declan turns even redder. "MOM! We're not…dating…we're just…I am…I just…"

JJ wraps an arm around his shoulder. "Ignore her, Dec. I know you're just friends."

Tom smiles. "Yeah, Declan, there's nothing wrong with just being friends with a girl. Besides, I've said you have to be at least 16 before you get engaged."

"DAD! Geez…"

JJ is worried if Declan blushes any more his head will explode. She shakes her head. "Ignore them _both_. Just go and have fun. Whatever is meant to be will be."

"Thanks, Mom."

She kisses his temple as he walks over to his Dad. "So, up for getting your butt schooled in Scrabble?"

Tom smiles. "By you and what army?"

* * *

An hour and a half later JJ is able to take Emily home. She promises to come back later to pick up Declan since Tom will be in the hospital for a few more days. When they get to the Hummer, JJ gets the kids in their seats while an orderly helps Emily get settled in the passenger seat. When JJ climbs in she smiles at her wife.

"He called us 'Mom' a lot today."

Emily smiles and nods. "I noticed. I have to admit I was scared he'd…he would…"

JJ nods. "I know. He never doubted you would save him, Em. He knew you'd fight tooth and nail and face your own death to save him. He knows how much you love him, Em, and he loves you just as much."

"He's a good kid. Tom did an amazing job raising him."

"Yes, he did."

Emily shifts a bit in her seat. JJ glances at her.

"You okay?"

"Arm is aching. But before you ask, no I don't want a pain pill. Not yet, at least. I want to spend time with you and the kids. Okay?"

JJ nods. "Okay." She looks in the rearview mirror. "Hey, Henry and Rocky, how does a movie and popcorn sound?"

"Cool!" Henry says.

"Coo'!" Rocky agrees

"Perfect. What should we watch?"

"Ummm…Toys and Brooms!"

JJ grins. "Okay. 'Toy Story' and 'Bedknobs and Broomsticks' it is. A double feature sounds good to me. What do you think, Mama?"

Emily smiles. "I think that sounds perfect. Absolutely perfect."

She reaches over and takes her wife's hand, giving it a kiss. "I love you, Jen."

"I love you, too, Em."

Emily settles back in her seat. Yes, she was hurting but she had no doubt that a day spent watching movies with her wife and children will make her feel just fine in no time.

* * *

**A/N: Realized I used 2012 originally but in my AU it is actually only 2011 so I reposted correcting the year but didn't change the days of the week in case anyone wants to point that out to me. The year was more important to the time frame of the AU.**


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